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CEREMONIES 


AT  THE 


UNVEILING  OF  THE  MONUMENT 


TO 


ROGER  WILLIAMS, 


ERECTED  BY  THE 


CITY  OF  PROVIDER  OE, 

WITH  THE 


Address  by  J.  LEWIS  DIMAN, 

OCTOBER  1  6,  187  7. 


PROVIDENCE: 

ANGELL,  HAMMETT  &  CO.,  CITY  PRINTERS. 

1877. 


CITY  DOCUMENT,  NO.  31. 


THE  CITY  OF  PROVIDENCE. 


RESOLUTIONS  OF  THE  CITY  COUNCIL, 
Approved  Ootoiser  22,  1877. 

Resolved,  That  the  city  council  of  the  city  of  Providence,  hereby  tender  their 
thanks  to  Professor  J.  Lewis  Diman,  of  Brown  University,  for  the  learned, 
scholarly  and  eloquent  oration  delivered  October  16,  1877,  upon  the  occasion  of 
the  dedication  of  the  monument  in  commemoration  of  the  life  and  services  of  the 
venerated  founder  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations,  in 
Roger  Williams  Park ;  and  the  joint  committee  on  parks  be  requested  to  wait  upon 
Professor  Diman  and  ask  for  a  copy  of  said  oration  for  publication,  and  to  cause 
the  same  to  be  printed  for  the  use  of  the  city  council. 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  council  be  also  tendered  to  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  for  their  services  in  the  masonic  ceremonies  at  the 
dedication  of  said  monument. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

Providence,  October  20,  1877. 

Dear  Sir  : — 

In  accordance  with  a  resolution  of  the  city  council,  I  request  you  to  furnish 
for  publication,  a  copy  of  the  address  delivered  by  you  at  the  dedication  of 
the  monument  to  Roger  Williams.  1  am,  sir, 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

ARTHUR  F.  DEXTER, 

Chairman  Committee  on  Parks. 

Professor  J.  L.  Diman. 


Providence,  October  25,  1877. 

Sir  : — 

In  compliance  with  the  request  conveyed  in  your  note,  it  gives  me  great 
pleasure  to  furnish  a  copy  of  the  address  at  the  recent  exercises  in  Roger 
Williams  Park.  I  remain,  sir, 

Very  respectfully, 

J.  L.  DIMAN. 

Arthur  F.  Dexter,  Esq.,  Chairman,  &c. 


CEREMONIES. 


The  city  of  Providence,  founded  by  Roger  Williams  in 
1636,  had  seen  more  than  two  centuries  of  prosperous  life, 
had  increased  till  it  numbered  more  thaij  100,000  inhabitants, 
had  become  the  second  city  in  New  England  in  wealth  and 
importance,  and  yet  had  secured  no  large  public  park,  and 
had  erected  no  statue  in  memory  of  its  founder.  Happily, 
a  portion  of  the  farm  given  to  Mr.  Williams  by  his  friend, 
the  sachem  Miantunnomi,  was  still  in  the  possession  of  one  of 
his  descendants,  and  she,  his  great-great-great-grand-daugh¬ 
ter,  Miss  Betsy  Williams,  in  whose  character  an  affectionate 
veneration  for  the  memory  of  her  ancestor  had  always  been 
a  prominent  trait,  determined  to  honor  his  memory  and  bene¬ 
fit  the  city  founded  by  him,  by  bequeathing  to  it  this  tract  for 
a  public  use. 

The  farm  comprises  about  100  acres  of  plain  and  woodland, 
and  has  many  natural  advantages  for  a  public  pleasure  ground. 
It  is  the  place  where  the  family  of  Roger  Williams  lived 
for  many  years,  where  the  old  homestead  still  stands,  and 
where  many  of  his  descendants  lie  buried  in  the  ancient 
Williams  burial  ground. 

Miss  Williams  died  November  27,  1871,  leaving  a  will  in 
terms  as  follows  :  — 


6 


C  E  K  EMONUiS, 


In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.  I,  Betsy  Williams,  of  the  City  and  county  of  Provi¬ 
dence,  State  of  Rhode  Island,  being  of  sound  disposing  mind  and  memory,  do 
publish,  pronounce  and  declare  this  to  be  my  last  Will  and  Testament,  hereby 
revoking  and  annulling  all  former  wills  by  me  at  any  time  made. 

First. — I  direct  my  executor,  hereinafter  named,  to  pay  all  my  just  debts  and 
funeral  expenses,  and  to  place,  to  mark  my  grave,  which  I  desire  shall  be  in  the 
“  Williams  Burying  Ground,  ”  upon  my  farm,  head  and  foot  stones  corresponding 
in  size  and  quality  with  those  which  have  been  erected  to  mark  the  resting  places  in 
the  same  ground  of  my  parents  and  sister. 

Second. — I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  city  of  Providence  my  farm,  situate  partly  in 
the  said  city  and  partly  in  the  town  of  Cranston,  lying  southerly  of  and  adjoining 
the  Stonington  railroad,  and  also  adjoining  the  westerly  side  of  the  Old  Pawtuxet 
Road,  (now  called  Broad  street,)  containing  about  one  hundred  acres,  more  or  less 
being  the  same  which  is  now  occupied  by  my  tenant,  John  Read,  Jr.,  to  have  and 
to  hold  the  same  to  said  city,  on  the  following  express  conditions,  viz.  :  That  said 
Farm  shall  never  be  sold,  excepting,  however,  such  small  portions' thereof  as  it  may 
be  desirable  to  sell  or  to  exchange  for  the  purpose  of  straightening  any  dividing 
line  or  lines,  or  of  leaving  the  main  body  of  the  Farm  in  a  better  shape  than  it  now 
is ;  that  it  ’never  shall  be  used  for  any  special  punative  or  reformative  purpose,  or 
for  a  hospital  for  any  contagious  or  infectious  disease ;  that  no  slaughter  house, 
piggery,  bone  or  fat  boiling  establishment,  or  any  repulsive  trade  or  occupation  shall 
be  allowed  thereon  ;  that  any  public  purpose  for  which  the  said  Farm  shall  be  used 
shall  be  named  in  honor  of  Roger  Williams,  as  “  Roger  Williams  Park  ”  “  Roger 
Williams  Cemetery,  ”  &c. ;  that  the  said  city  shall  erect  a  monument  to  the  memory 
of  Roger  Williams,  in  the  aforesaid  Williams  Burying  ground,  at  a  cost  of  not 

less  than  live  hundred  dollars;  that  the  said  city  shall  maintain  a  good  and 

* 

becoming  fence  around  the  said  Burying  Ground,  and  keep  the  grounds  within 
the  enclosure  in  proper  order;  that  all  sums  for  which  any  portion  of  said  Farm 
shall  be  sold,  as  hereinbefore  provided,  and  all  sums  which  may  be  received  for 
rents,  or  in  any  other  way  derived  from  the  property  hereby  devised,  shall,  after 
defraying  the  expense  of  improvements,  constitute  a  fund  to  be  entitled  the  “  Roger 
Williams  Fund,  ”  the  interest  of  which  shall  be  applied  towards  the  support  of  the 
poor  of  the  city  of  Providence, — I  hereby  reserving  the  aforesaid  Williams  Burying 
Ground  from  the  above  devise  as  a  place  of  sepulture  of  the  descendants  of  my  an¬ 
cestor,  Roger  Williams,  forever.  Nothing,  however,  above  contained,  is  intended 
to  debar  the  city  from  laying  out  such  streets  and  avenues  through  and  over  said 
Farm  as  the  interest  of  the  property  and  the  public  convenience  may  require. 

Third. — I  give  and  bequeath  to  Mary  Alice  Rein,  wife  of  Eimerich  Rein,  and  Fanny 
Carpenter  Pitman,  wife  of  Henry  Pitman,  both  being  daughters  of  my  much 
esteemed  friend,  the  hftc  Thomas  F.  Carpenter,  one  undivided  half  part  of  a  piece 
of  land,  containing  in  the  whole  about  four  acres,  lying  westerly  of  and  adjoining 
the  new  Stonington  Railroad,  to  have  and  to  hold  to  them,  their  heirs  and  assigns 
forever. 


CEREMONIES 


7 


Fourth. — I  give  and  bequeath  to  Freolove  B.  Carpenter,  widow  of  Cyril 
Carpenter,  and  Elizabeth  Tower,  wife  of  Emerson  Tower,  of  Providence,  the  other 
undivided  one-half  part  of  the  aforesaid  piece  of  land,  to  have  and  to  hold  to  them, 
their  heirs  and  assigns  forever. 

Fifth, — I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  relative  and  friend,  Zuriel  Waterman,  for  the 
term  of  his  natural  life,  and  to  Polly  Boon  Waterman,  his  wife,  after  him,  should 
she  survive  him,  for  the  term  of  her  natural  life,  the  house  in  which  I  now  live,  with 
all  the  land  belonging  to  me  which  adjoins  the  same,  they  to  keep  the  premises  in  a 
proper  state  of  repair,  and  to  pay  the  taxes  thereon. 

Sixth. — I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  nephew,  Charles  Williams,  of  the  city  and 
State  of  New  York,  son  of  my  deceased  brother,  Charles  Williams,  all  of  my 
household  goods,  my  clothing,  carriage  and  sleigh. 

Seventh. — All  the  rest  and  residue  of  property,  real,  personal  and  mixed,  of 
every  name  and  nature  and  wheresoever  the  same  may  be,  of  which  I  may  die 
possessed  or  to  which  I  may  be  entitled,  I  give,  devise  and  bequeath,  the  one 
undivided  half  part  thereof,  to  my  said  nephew,  Charles  Williams,  and  the  other 
undivided  half  part  thereof  to  the  heirs  of  my  deceased  nephew,  Albert  Pabodie 
Williams. 

Eighth. — I  nominate,  constitute  and  appoint  my  said  nephew,  Charles  Williams, 
sole  executor  of  this,  my  last  Will  and  Testament. 

In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal  on  this  twenty-first 
day  of  August,  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty  eight. 


Signed,  sealed,  published,  pronounced  and  dc- 
dared  by  the  said  Betsy  Williams,  to  be  as  and 
tor  her  last  Will  and  Testament,  in  the  presence 
of  us,  who,  in  her  presence  and  in  the  presence  of 
each  other,  have  hereunto  subscribed  our  names 
as  witnesses  to  the  same. 

The  word  “to  ”  on  the  last  line  of  the  second 
page  having  first  been  expunged,  and  the  word 
“  brother  ”  on  the  last  lino  of  the  third  page  ex¬ 
punged,  and  the  word  “nephew”  interlined. 

Joseph  J.  Cooke, 

Charles  W.  Patt, 

Philip  S.  Paine. 


Betsy  Williams, 


CODICIL. 

I,  Betsy  Williams,  of  the  city  and  county  of  Providence,  State  of  Rhode  Island, 
do,  this  ninth  day  of  October,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-eight,  make  and  publish 
this  Codicil  to  my  last  will  and  testament,  in  manner  following,  that  is  to  say, 
whereas,  in  my  said  will  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  relative  and  friend,  Zuriel 


* 


8 


CEREMONIES. 


Waterman,  for  the  term  of  liis  natural  life,  and  to  Polly  Boon  Waterman,  his  wife 
after  him,  should  she  survive  him,  for  the  term  of  her  natural  life,  the  house  in 
which  I  now  live,  with  all  the  land  belonging  to  me,  which  adjoins  the  same,  I  ilo 
hereby  order  and  declare,  and  my  will  is,  that,  after  the  death  of  the  aforesaid 
/ uriel  Waterman,  one-half  part  of  the  said  house  and  adjoining  land  shall  revert 
directly  to  and  be  the  property  of  my  nephew,  Charles*  Williams,  and  the  other 
undivided  half  part  thereof  shall  revert  directly  to  and  be  the  property  of  the  heirs 
of  my  deceased  nephew,  Albert  Pabodie  Williams,  instead  of  being  the  property 
for  life  of  the  aforesaid  Polly  Boon  Waterman.  And  I  hereby  order  this,  my  codi¬ 
cil,  to  be  annexed  to  and  make  a  part  of  my  last  will  and  testament,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes. 

In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal  on  this  ninth  day  of 
October,  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-eight. 


Signed,  sealed,  published,  pronounced  and  de¬ 
clared  by  the  said  Betsy  Williams,  to  be  as  and 
for  a  codicil  to  her  last  will  and  testament,  in  the 
presence  of  us,  who,  in  the  presence  of  each  oth¬ 
er,  have  hereunto  subscribed  our  names  as  wit¬ 
nesses  to  the  same. 


Betsy  Williams, 


Joseph  J.  Cooke, 
Charles  W.  Patt, 
Philip  S.  Paine. 


The  city  council,  by  resolution  of  date  February  12,  1872, 
accepted  this  bequest,  and  forthwith  began  to  plan  the  erec¬ 
tion  of  a  statue  to  Roger  Williams  that  should  far  exceed  the 
modest  requirements  of  the  testatrix,  and  which  should  be 
worthy  the  subject  and  the  place.  Various  committees  were 
appointed  to  carry  out  this  design,  and  many  plans  were 
examined,  resulting  in  the  acceptance  of  those  presented  bj 
Mr.  Franklin  Simmons,  of  Rome. 

After  many  unavoidable  delays,  the  monument  was  dedi¬ 
cated  on  Tuesday,  October  16,  1877.  The  interest  in  this 
event  extended  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  city;  and  from 
all  parts  of  the  state  came  many  people  to  attend  the  ceremo¬ 
nies.  There  was  great  rejoicing  that  at  last  a  monument  was 


CEREMONIES. 


9 


to  be  erected  to  the  founder  of  the  city  and  state;  there  was 
an  eager  interest  to  see  the  memorial  itself ;  and  there  was  a 
strong  desire  to  demonstrate  by  a  large  attendance  at  the 
first  ceremony  occurring  within  its  limits,  that  the  park, 
though  but  a  few  years  in  existence,  and  as  yet  not  entirely 
redeemed  from  its  primitive  wildness,  had  still  greatly  en¬ 
deared  itself  to  the  public. 

From  these  various  causes,  the  committee  having  charge  of 
the  arrangements  found  themselves  compelled  to  provide  for 
the  accommodation  of  a  very  large  concourse  of  spectators. 
Seats  were  arranged  for  more  than  6,000  persons,  and  ample 
space  was  provided  for  carriages  and  for  the  further  accom¬ 
modation  of  the  general  public. 

Prof.  J.  L.  Diman,  of  Brown  University,  was  invited  to 
deliver  the  address,  and  Rev.  E.  G.  Robinson,  President 
of  the  University,  to  make  the  prayer  at  the  dedication. 

In  accordance  with  custom,  the  order  of  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons  was  invited  to  assist  in  the  dedication 
-  services.  The  music  arranged  for  the  occasion  was  sung  by 
a  chorus  of  1,500  children  from  the  grammar  schools,  under 
the  direction  of  the  public  instructor  of  music,  Mr.  B.  W. 
Hood,  accompanied  by  the  American  Band,  Mr.  D.  W. 
Reeves,  leader. 

The  weather,  though  threatening  rain,  did  not  prevent  the 
early  gathering  of  many  thousands  in  the  streets  to  witness 
the  formation  and  march  of  the  masonic  procession,  and  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  numerous  facilities  for  reaching  the 
park.  By  careful  estimate,  it  is  known  that  more  than 
20,000  persons  visited  the  grounds  that  day. 

The  procession  formed  on  Market  square  and  the  adjacent 
streets,  at  10  o’clock,  A.  M.,  and  marched  to  the  park  in  the 
following  order: — 


2 


10 


CEREMONIES. 


Police  Skirmishes. 

Chief  of  Police,  William  H.  Ayer. 

Platoon  of  Police. 

Grand  Marshal,  Samuel  G.  Stiness. 

Grand  Marshal’s  Aids,  Arthur  W.  Dennis,  Stephen  F.  Fiskc,  Henry  V.  A.  Joslin. 

FIRST  DIVISION. 

First  Assistant  Grand  Marshal,  Walter  B.  Vincent  and  aids. 

American  Band,  D.  W.  Reeves,  leader. 

St.  John’s  Commandcry  Knights  Templar,  No.  1,  Providence,  Eminent  Commander 

Sir  George  H.  Burnham. 

Pawtucket  Band,  A.  D.  Harlow,  leader. 

Holy  Sepulchre  Commandery,  No.  8,  Pawtucket,  Eminent  Commander, 

Sir  Henry  A.  Pierce. 

Detachment  of  Calvary  Commandery,  No.  13,  Providence,  under  command  of 
Senior  Warden,  Sir  Horace  Iv  Blanchard. 

Narragansett  Commandery,  No.  27,  Westerly,  Eminent  Commander, 

Sir  R.  F.  Latimer. 

SECOND  DIVISION. 

Second  Assistant  Grand  Marshal,  Thomas  W.  Cliace  and  Aids. 

National  Band,  William  E.  White,  leader. 

Roger  Williams  Lodge,  No.  32,  Centrcdale,  A.  W.  Harrington,  Master. 
Rising  Sun  Lodge,  No.  30,  Wateliemoket;  Joseph  J.  Luther,  Master. 
Jencks  Lodge  No.  24,  Central  Falls;  A.  W.  Arnold,  Master. 

What  Cheer  Lodge,  No.  21,  Providence;  George  W.  Arnold,  Master. 
Harmony  Lodge,  No.  9,  Pawtuxet;  Henry  B.  Thompson,  Master. 
Washington  Lodge,  No.  5,  Wickford;  David  S.  Baker,  Master. 

Mount  Vernon  Lodge,  No.  4,  of  Providence;  Joseph  S.  G.  Cobh,  Master. 
Grand  Lodge  of  Rhode  Island. 

Grand  Tyler ;  Grand  Stewards  with  White  Rods ;  Master  Masons ;  A  Brother, 
with  a  Golden  Vessel  of  Corn ;  Two  Brethren  with  Silver  Vessels  of  Wine 
and  Oil;  Junior  Wardens  of  Lodges;  Three  Brethren  with  Working  Tools ; 
Senior  Wardens  of  Lodges ;  Two  Brethren  with  the  Tuscan  and  Composite 
Orders ;  Three  Brethren  with  the  Doric,  Ionic  and  Corinthian  Orders ;  Past 
Masters ;  Two  Brethren  with  Globes,  Celestial  and  Terrestial ;  A  Past  Master 
with  Burning  Taper;  Steward  with  White  Rod ;  A  Past  Master  with  the  Great 
Light ;  Steward  with  White  Rod ;  Two  Past  Masters  with  a  Burning  Taper. 
Mounted  detachment  of  Calvary  Commandery,  No.  13,  Providence,  escorting  the 
officers  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Rhode  Island,  the  committee  of  arrange¬ 
ments,  and  invited  guests,  in  carriages,  Acting  Senior  Warden,  Sir  Nathaniel 
Grant,  commanding. 


CEftE  MONIES. 


11 


At  the  park  the  seats,  were  occupied  by  the  members  of  the 
city  council,  city  officials,  the  masonic  fraternity,  specially  in¬ 
vited  guests,  the  school  children  and  the  general  public. 

The  monument  is  erected  on  the  high  bank  west  of  the 
lake,  facing  west ;  and  is  visible  from  the  lake,  and  from 
most  parts  of  the  park,  while  the  ancient  mansion  and  old 
trees  give  it  a  local  surrounding  peculiarly  appropriate.  It 
is  constructed  of  Westerly  granite  of  the  finest  quality  and 
of  uniform  shade.  A  flight  of  steps  leads  up  to  a  square 
pedestal  of  excellent  proportions  and  design,  simple  and 
striking  in  effect.  A  figure  of  History,  in  classic  drapery, 
standing  on  the  upper  step,  is  writing  with  a  stylus  upon  the 
front  tablet  in  plain  script,  the  words,  “  Roger  Williams? 
1636.”  To  the  right  of  this  figure  is  a  group  of  bronze  em¬ 
blems,  comprising  a  shield  with  anchor,  a  scroll,  books  and 
a  laurel  wreath.  On  the  rear  tablet  is  inscribed,  “  Erected 
by  the  City  of  Providence,  A.  d.  1877.”  Crowning  the 
whole  is  the  statue  of  Roger  Williams. 

The  monument  from  its  base  is  twenty-seven  feet  in 
height,  the  statue  of  Roger  Williams  seven  and  a  half  feet, 
and  that  of  History  six  and  a  half  feet  in  height ;  they 
were  modelled  in  Rome  in  the  studio  of  Mr.  Simmons,  and 
cast  in  bronze  of  a  peculiar  brilliant  color,  in  Munich;  the 
monument  was  cut  by  the  Smith  Granite  Company,  and  a 
good  conception  of  its  general  character  and  of  the  more 
minute  details  of  the  principal  figure,  that  of  Roger  Williams, 
can  be  obtained  from  the  photographs  in  this  volume. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  ceremonies,  the  platform  in 
front  of  the  monument  was  occupied  by  the  members  of  the 
joint  standing  committee  of  the  city  council  on  parks, 
Messrs.  Arthur  F.  Dexter,  Chairman  ;  William  PI.  Shattuck? 
Joseph  F.  Brown,  Charles  F.  Sampson,  and  William  S. 


12" 


CEREMONIES. 


* 

Hayward,  to.  whom  had  been  entrusted  the  arrangement  of 
the  services  of  dedication,  and  by  the  artist,  Mr.  Simmons. 

The  opening  number  on  the  programme,  the  overture, 
“Fest,”  was  rendered  by  the  American  Band,  and  was  fol¬ 
lowed  by  the  chorus,  by  the  school  children,  “  Know  ye  the 
land  so  wondrous  fair.”  Mr.  Dexter,  then  opened  the  ser¬ 
vices  and  introduced  the  artist,  who  was  to  unveil  the  monu¬ 
ment,  saying : — 

Gentlemen  of  the  City  Government  and  Citizens  of 
Providence  : 

You  are  assembled  to-day  to  witness  the  unveiling  and 
dedication  of  the  monument  erected  in  honor  of  the  founder 
of  our  city.  The  committee  to  whom  has  been  assigned  the 
duty  of  completing  the  work  have  requested  the  artist,  whose 

genius  conceived  and  whose  skill  has  executed  this  master- 

* 

piece  of  art,  to  withdraw  the  veil  that  now  hides  it  from  your 
view.  I  introduce  to  you  Mr.  Franklin  Simmons,  the  artist, 
who  will  unveil  this  monument  to  Roger  Williams. 

UNVEILING  THE  MONUMENT. 

Mr.  Simmons  was  greeted  with  applause  and,  bowing  his 
acknowledgment,  pulled  the  cord  which  drew  off  the  veil, 
and  the  monument  was  disclosed  to  view  amid  the  hearty 
plaudits  of  the  assemblage.  At  this  instant  the  band 
played  a  staff,  and  the  children  sang  the  following  dedication 
hymn,  written  by  Mrs.  Sarah  Helen  Whitman,  of  Providence. 

ROGER  WILLIAMS. 

Aye,  let  the  Muse  of  History  write, 

Ou  a  white  stone  his  honored  name, 

Loyal  to  liberty  and  light, 

First  ou  Rhode  Island's  roll  of  fame. 


CEREMONIES. 


13 


IF 


While  Church  and  State  would  “  hold  the  fort,” 

With  sword  and  scourge  and  penal  fires, 

His  faith  a  broader  haven  sought ; 

The  faith  that  welcomes  and  aspires. 

While  credal  watchwords  rise  and  fall, 

His  banner  to  the  winds  unfurled, 

Proclaimed  on  Freedom’s  outer  wall, 

Peace  and  Good-will  to  all  the  world. 

Nor  codes  shall  bind,  nor  creeds  divide, 

The  souls  that  seek  eternal  good, 

That  follow  truth’s  un  chartered  guide, 

And  feed  on  faith’s  perennial  food. 

Apart  from  controversial  strife, 

Ready  to  hail  the  morning’s  ray, 

To  break  with  all  the  bread  of  life, 

And  open  wide  the  doors  of  day. 

Well  may  the  Muse  of  History  place; 

Foremost  among  the  just  and  free, 

His  honored  name,  wherein  we  trace 
The  soul  of  Law  and  Liberty. 

The  committee  on  parks  (except  the  chairman)  having 
left  the  platform,  it  was  occupied  by  theM.  W.  Grand  Master 
of  Masons,  Charles  R.  Cutler,  and  officers  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  State  of 
Rhode  Island,  with  the  furniture  and  insignia  used  on  such 
occasions. 

The  chairman  thus  addressed  the  Grand  Master  : — 

Most  Worshipful  Grand  Master  of  Masons  and 

Members  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Rhode  Island: — 

In  accordance  with  the  invitation  of  the  committee  on 
parks,  I  request  you  to  now  perform  your  part  in  the  dedica¬ 
tion  of  this  monument  with  such  ceremonies  as  you  are  ac¬ 
customed  to  use. 


* 


14  CEREMONIES. 


The  Grand  Master  then  directed  silence  to  be  proclaimed, 
which  was  done  by  the  Grand  Marshall,  after  which  the  band 
played  a  voluntary. 

W.\  and  Rev.  Henry  W.  Rugg,  Grand  Chaplain,  offered  the 
following 

INVOCATION. 

Almighty  and  ever-blessed  God,  in  whom  we  all  live,  and 
move,  and  have  our  being,  we  rejoice  in  thee,  and  in  the 
thought  of  thy  perpetual  presence  and  guidance.  We  believe 
that  thou  art  continually  with  the  nations  and  peoples  of  earth, 
leading  them  in  an  upward  way,  and  so  making  thy  kingdom 
of  lighteousness  to  extend  its  borders ;  and  thus  with  strong 
confidence  we  come  to  the  services  of  this  occasion,  and  call 
upon  thy  name  in  thanksgiving  and  praise.  Re  thou  with  us, 
O  God,  to  bless  and  to  direct,  for  we  realize  that  without  thy 
aid  the  workmen  always  toil  in  vain.  We  thank  thee  for  all 
the  associations  of  this  place  and  occasion ;  we  thank  thee 
for  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  for  all  noble  souls  that  have 
lived  and  wrought  for  the  establishment  of  thy  truth.  We 
thank  thee,  O  God,  for  what  our  institution  stands  for  and 
represents,  and  for  the  prosperity  that  has  marked  its  course. 
And  now,  O  Father,  we  implore  thy  grace  and  help  that  these 
ceremonies  in  which  we  are  about  to  engage  may  be  conducted 
decently  and  in  order,  to  thy  glory  and  our  common  and 
individual  good.  Amen. 

The  Grand  Chaplain  read  the  lesson  for  the  day,  from 
Genesis  xxviii.,  10-18,  Joshua  iv.,  19-24,  and  Nehemiah 
iv.,  38-39;  and  Psalms  cxxi  and  cxxxiii  were  read  by  the 
Grand  Chaplain  and  brethren  alternately. 

The  following  hymn  was  then  sung  by  the  children  accom¬ 
panied  by  the  band  : — 


CEREMONIES. 


15 


Supreme  Grand  Master !  God  of  power, 

Be  with  us  in  this  solemn  hour ! 

Smile  on  our  work ;  our  plans  approve ; 

Fill  every  heart  with  hope  and  love. 

Let  each  discordant  thought  he  gone, 

And  love  unite  our  hearts  in  one ; 

May  we,  in  union  strong  combine 
In  work  and  worship  so  divine. 

The  Grand  Chaplain  delivered  an  eloquent  eulogy  on 
Masonry,  after  which  the  hymn  beginning 

“  When  earth’s  foundation  first  was  laid, 

By  the  Almighty  Artist’s  hand ;  ” 

was  sung  by  the  children,  with  band  accompaniment. 

Mr.  Franklin  Simmons,  then  presented  the  sejuare, 
level  and  plumb  to  the  M.  W.  Grand  Master,  who  delivered 
them  to  his  officers  to  make  the  usual  test  of  the  work,  and 
after  receiving  their  reports,  he  ascended  the  steps  of  the 
monument,  and  striking  it  three  times  with  his  gavel,  he  said: 
“  The  craftsmen  having  faithfully  and  skillfully  performed 
their  duty,  we  now  declare  this  monument  to  be  well  formed, 
true  and  trusty,  and  may  it  endure  to  latest  generations.” 

The  following  hymn  was  sung  by  the  children,  accompanied 
by  the  band : — 

Before  the  hills  in  order  stood. 

Or  earth  received  her  frame, 

From  everlasting  thou  art  God, 

To  endless  years  the  same. 

Time  like  an  ever  rolling  stream, 

Bears  all  its  sons  away ; 

They  fly,  forgotten,  as  a  dream 
Dies  at  the  opening  day. 

Our  God,  our  help  in  ages  past, 

Our  hope  for  years  to  come, 

Be  thou  our  guard  while  troubles  last, 

And  our  eternal  home. 


16 


CEREMONIES. 


During  the  singing  of  the  hymn,  corn,  wine  and  oil  were 
poured  upon  the  monument  by  the  officers  of  the  Grand 
Lodge,  who  gave  the  customary  invocations  as  the  emblems 
were  poured,  after  which  the  Grand  Chaplain  ascended  the 
steps  of  the  monument  and  dedicated  it  as  follows : 

“  In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  we  dedicate  this  monu¬ 
ment  to  the  memory  of  him  who  founded  this  city  and  state. 
May  the  great  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  which 
he  first  proclaimed  be  here  ever  maintained,  and  may  they 
spread  until  all  nations  who  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  whole 
earth  shall  acknowledge  their  truth. 

May  the  Grand  Architect  of  the  Universe  look  with  favor 
upon  this  memorial,  and  cause  it  to  endure  through  future 
ages,  Amen.” 

The  Grand  Marshal  then  made  the  following  proclamation, 
which  ended  the  Masonic  ceremonies. 

“  In  the  name  of  the  Most  Worshipful  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
State  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations,  I  now 
proclaim  that  the  monument  here  erected  by  the  city  of 
Providence  to  the  memory  of  him  who  founded  this  state,  has 
this  day  been  consecrated  in  accordance  with  the  usage  and 
custom  of  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  This  procla¬ 
mation  I  make  once,  twice,  thrice,  in  the  South,  in  the  West 
and  in  the  East.” 

The  Grand  Officers  having  left  the  platform,  it  was  occu¬ 
pied  by  the  committee  on  parks,  the  mayor,  the  orator  and 
the  chaplain  of  the  day.  The  chairman  then  formally  pre¬ 
sented  the  monument  to  the  citjr,  saying : 

Mr.  Mayor  : — This  monument,  erected  by  the  city  of 
Providence  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  Roger  Williams,  is 
completed,  and  has,  in  customary  and  solemn  form  been  pro- 


CEREMONIES. 


17 


nounced  perfect.  The  only  remaining  duty  of  the  committee 
on  parks,  who  were  directed  to  finish  the  work  begun  by 
others,  is  to  deliver  it  to  the  city.  That  duty,  sir,  I  now  per¬ 
form,  and  in  asking  you  to  accept  on  behalf  of  the  city  this 
monument,  I  but  give  voice  to  the  thought  of  all  in  saying 
that  we  congratulate  ourselves  that,  to  him  who  was  first  in 
our  history,  and  whose  memory  most  deserves  every  honor  we 
can  pay,  the  city  he  founded  has  erected  its  first  monumental 
statue ;  and  also,  that  through  the  genius  of  the  artist,  and  the 
excellent  judgment  of  a  previous  committee,  we  shall  perpet¬ 
uate  his  memory  by  this  monument  that  now  takes  its  place 
among  the  noblest  works  of  art. 

W e  are  now  upon  land  once  owned  by  Roger  Williams, 
and  bequeathed  to  the  city  of  Providence  by  Miss  Betsy 
Williams,  his  great-great-great-grand-daughter.  The  love  she 
bore  to  the  city  her  ancestor  founded,  and  her  reverence 
for  his  memory  prompted  this  bequest,  by  which  she  provided 
that  this  tract  of  land  which  contains  about  one  hundred 
acres,  might  be  forever  kept  for  public  uses,  and  be  known 
as  Roger  Williams  Park.  She  died  November  27,  1871.  Her 
bequest  was  accepted  by  the  city,  February  12,  1872. 
November  19,  1872,  a  committee  was  instructed  to  procure 
plans  and  estimates  for  a  monument  to  Roger  Williams, 
to  be  erected  in  this  park. 

December  17,  1874,  the  design  of  this  monument,  offered 
by  Mr.  Franklin  Simmons,  was  accepted  from  among  eighteen 
designs  offered,  and  the  committee  were  directed  to  contract 
with  Mr.  Simmons  for  the  statues  of  Roger  Williams  and 
History. 

April  26,  1877,  the  committee  on  parks  were  directed  to  con¬ 
tract  for  the  granite  work,  after  designs  by  Mr.  Simmons, 
which  contract  was  awarded  to  the  Smith  Granite  Company, 


3 


18 


CEREMONIES. 


and  were  further  instructed  to  take  charge  of  the  ceremonies 
of  dedication  of  the  monument. 

The  committee  venture  to  hope  that  they  have  not  failed 
in  perfecting  the  work  begun  by  their  predecessors,  and  that 
the  ceremonies  they  have  arranged  are  not  unsuited  to  the 
dignity  and  solemnity  of  this  occasion. 

And,  sir,  permit  me  also  to  express  the  hope,  that  we^have 
to-day  done  that  which  shall  mark  the  beginning  of  a  new 
era  in  the  history  of  this  park,  so  that  from  henceforth  it  shall 
cease  to  be  a  struggling  possibility,  and  shall  be  accepted  as  a 
positive  existence,  able  successfully  to  assert  its  claim  to  the 
fostering  care  of  the  city. 

By  the  memory  of  him  to  whom  we  have  erected  this  mon¬ 
ument  ;  in  gratitude  to  her  who  has  given  this  fair  tract  of 
hill  and  vale  and  wood  ;  for  the  sake  of  the  ever-increasing 
multitude  of  our  citizens,  of  all  classes,  who  seek  harmless  en¬ 
joyment  and  healthful  rest  within  these  boundaries  ;  by  your 
knowledge  that  your  duty  in  developing  a  great  city,  requires 
you  to  provide  and  maintain  a  suitable  place  for  public  recrea¬ 
tion,  I  pray  you,  sir,  and  you  gentlemen  of  the  city  council, 
not  to  go  backward  nor  to  creep  snail-paced  onward  in  the 
work  of  improving  and  beautifying  this  park,  but  rather  to 
give  with  liberal  hand  the  support  that  your  judgment  deter¬ 
mines  is  required  to  make  it,  in  due  process  of  time,  a  blessing 
to  our  people  and  an  ornament  to  our  city. 

And  you,  my  fellow-citizens,  let  me  urge  you  to  encourage 
by  your  frequent  presence  here,  and  by  your  words  and  acts 
elsewhere,  those  who  shall  try  to  secure  for  you  and  for  the 
generations  to  come,  the  benefits  of  a  well  ordered  public  park. 

Sir,  by  direction  of  the  joint  standing  committee  on 
parks  of  the  city  council,  I  now  deliver  this  monument  of 
Roger  Williams  to  the  city. 


CEREMONIES. 


19 


His  Honor,  Thomas  A.  Doyle,  mayor,  accepted  the  monu- 
*  ment  in  behalf  of  the  city  as  follows : — 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Committee  : — 

As  the  representative  of  the  people  of  Providence,  I  accept 
this  monument,  as  a  memorial  erected  by  them  to  the  memory 
of  him  who  founded  this  city. 

You  have  completed  the  work  begun  by  your  predecessors, 
and  you  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  that  work  approved 
by  the  thousands  of  your  fellow- citizens  here  assembled. 

It  is  a  memorial  worthy  of  him  in  whose  honor  it  has  been 
erected,  and  most  creditable  to  the  city  by  whose  authority  it 
was  constructed. 

I  deem  it  a  great  honor  that  the  work  has  been  done  during 
my  official  term,  and  that  from  this  day  the  enduring  granite 
and  bronze,  so  elegantly  united  by  the  genius  of  Franklin 
Simmons,  will  make  known  the  high  regard  in  which  the 
people  of  Providence  hold  the  name  and  memory  of  Roger 
Williams. 

I  agree  with  you  that  this  tract  of  land  is  a  most  proper 
location  for  this  monument,  as  it  was  owned  by  Roger  Wil¬ 
liams,  and  never  passed  from  the  control  of  his  descendants 
until  it  came  into  the  possession  of  the  city.  By  the  action 
of  the  city  council,  it  has  been  dedicated  as  a  public  park, 
and  thus  preserved  against  encroachments  or  improper  uses 
during  the  existence  of  the  city.  It  is  also  a  proper  location, 
because  almost  under  the  shadow  of  this  memorial  lie  the 
remains  of  her,  by  whose  thoughtful  generosity  this  land 
was  given  to  the  city. 

Fellow  Citizens  : — I  join  with  the  committee  in  the  hope 
that  this  park  will  now  receive  the  care  which  it  deserves. 


20 


CEREMONIES. 


Let  it  be  properly  laid  out  and  enlarged  by  the  addition  of 
adjoining  territory,  connect  it  by  suitable  avenues  with  the  ' 
land  on  Narragansett  Bay,  now  owned  by  the  city,  and  thus 
secure  for  those  who  shall  come  after  us,  a  park  which  shall 
be  as  worthy  as  is  this  monument  to  bear  the  honored  name 
of  Roger  Williams. 

Gentlemen  oe  the  City  Council  : — I  have  performed 
the  duty  devolving  upon  me  by  my  official  position,  and  have 
accepted  this  monument  as  a  finished  work.  It  is  not  my 
province  to  speak  of  the  life  and  character  of  him  whose 
name  is  this  day  honored,  nor  to  dwell  upon  the  lessons  which 
this  memorial  teaches  to  us  as  members  of  the  municipal  gov¬ 
ernment.  All  this  belongs  to  him  whom  the  committee  has 
most  appropriately  selected  as  the  orator  of  the  occasion. 

I  congratulate  you,  and  I  congratulate  the  city  upon  the 
success  which  the  artist  has  so  grandly  achieved. 

The  choral,  “A  Mighty  Fortress  is  our  God,”  was  sung 
by  the  school  children. 

PRAYER  OE  DEDICATION. 

Rev.  E.  G.  Robinson,  made  the  following  prayer  of 
dedication : — 

Let  us  Pray: — O,  thou  who  art  the  God  of  the  spirits  of 
all  flesh,  whose  kingdom  ruleth  over  all  in  heaven  and  on 
earth,  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ, 
Thou  wast  the  God  of  our  fathers,  and  thou  gavest  them  the 
goodly  land  in  which  we,  their  descendants,  now  dwell.  We 
thank  thee  for  the  institutions,  civil  and  religious,  which  our 
fathers,  endowed  with  heavenly  wisdom,  were  enabled  to 
establish,  and  which,  in  thy  good  providence,  thou  hast  pre¬ 
served  to  us.  W e  bless  thy  holy  name  for  our  heritage  of 
great  memories,  of  high  examples  of  self-denial  and  virtue, 
and  of  unswerving  devotion  to  righteousness  and  truth. 


CEREMONIES. 


21 


We  thank  thee  for  the  life  and  teachings  of  thy  servant, 
to  whose  memory  we  now  dedicate  this  monument.  Thou 
gavest  him  to  the  generation  in  which  he  lived :  to  the 
country  to  which  in  his  earlier  manhood  he  came ;  and 
to  the  city  and  state  which  he  founded.  As  he  commemo¬ 
rated  thy  manifold  mercies  to  him,  by  naming,  with  an 
imperishable  name,  the  city  and  state  in  which  we  dwell,  so 
would  we  commemorate  thy  greater  goodness  to  him  and  to 
mankind  in  exalting  him  to  be  a  seer  and  teacher  of  imper¬ 
ishable  truths. 

We  bless  thy  holy  name,  O  thou  eternal  God,  that  thou 
taughtest  him  to  teach  thy  people  reverence  for  the  sacred 
rights  of  conscience ;  that  thou  madest  him  to  discern  and 
enunciate  true  principles  of  religious  liberty  ;  that  these  prin¬ 
ciples,  which  seemed  so  strangely  erroneous  to  those  who  first 
heard  them,  are  now  the  familiar  first  truths  of  all  good  gov¬ 
ernment  ;  that  these  principles,  going  forth  in  their  simplicity 
and  majesty,  have  to-day  become  part  of  the  organic  laws  of 
every  state  in  our  broad  land.  Grant,  most  merciful  Father, 
that  they  may  most  speedily  encircle  our  globe. 

And  now,  most  gracious  God,  we  leave  this  monument 
with  its  statue  beneath  the  canopy  of  the  same  heavens  that 
thy  servant  whom  they  commemorate,  so  often  looked  on  and 
loved  so  well.  May  they  endure  till  the  latest  generation 
shall  have  walked  these  fields  and  rested  under  these  skies. 
Let  the  lessons  which  they  proclaim  be  distinctly  heard  by  all 
who  shall  tread  these  walks.  May  this  statue,  as  it  shall 
stand  here  by  day  and  by  night,  in  storm  and  in  sunshine, 
speak  of  devotion  to  truth  and  of  fidelity  to  conviction. 
Make  it,  we  pray  thee,  a  beacon  to  warn  against  the 
approach  of  the  spirit  of  despotism,  civil  or  religious,  and 
a  reminder  of  the  sure  rewards  of  a  life  of  devotion  to 


22 


CEREMONIES. 


truth  and  right ;  and  may  all  who  shall  look  on  it  catch  the 
inspiration  of  a  charity  as  broad  as  our  race,  a  love  to  man¬ 
kind  as  pure  and  unfailing  as  that  which  animated  him  of 
whom  it  is  a  memorial. 

Let  thy  rich  blessings,  our  heavenly  Father,  rest  on  the  city 
and  state  in  which  we  dwell.  Preserve  them  we  beseech 
thee,  from  unrighteous  and  injurious  laws.  Give  to  us  wise 
and  just  legislators ;  and  rulers  who  in  the  execution  of 
laws  shall  fear  God  rather  than  man.  Help  us  to  preserve 
our  rich  legacy  of  freedom,  and  to  transmit  it  unimpaired  to 
those  who  shall  come  after  us.  Bless,  most  merciful  God, 
our  city,  our  state,  and  our  common  country,  with  peace  and 
plenty,  and  with  the  righteousness  that  is  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 

The  children  then  chanted  “  The  Lord’s  Prayer.” 

J.  L.  Diman,  D.  D.,  then  delivered  the  dedicatory  address. 


•  ' 


> 


I 


ADDRESS  BY  J.  LEWIS  DIMAN. 


ADDRESS. 


We  bring  to  a  close,  in  these  services,  a  long  purposed 
work.  A  full  year  before  yonder  shores  were  lighted  by  the 
flames  of  the  burning  Gaspee,  when  this  state  was  still  a 
dependency  of  the  British  crown,  and  the  rule  of  George 
the  third  was  as  undisputed  by  the  Pawtuxet  as  the  Thames, 
the  freemen  of  Providence,  assembled  in  public  meeting, 
resolved  to  erect  a  monument  to  the  “  founder  of  the  town 
and  colony.”  The  population  at  that  date  scarcely  exceeded 
four  thousand  souls,  and  it  is  unlikely  that  anything  more 
was  contemplated  than,  a  simple  memorial  to  mark  the 
western  slope  where,  for  well  nigh  a  century,  the  rays  of  the 
setting  sun  had  gently  touched  his  grave.  The  swift  march 
of  events,  the  quarrel  with  the  mother- country,  the  pressure 
of  the  revolutionary  struggle,  hindered  a  project  which  still 
never  wholly  passed  from  mind  till  after  the  lapse  of  another 
century  the  munificent  bequest  of  one  of  his  lineal  descend- 
ents  made  any  longer  delay  unworthy  of  a  prosperous  and 
public-spirited  community.  Yet  we  need  not  deplore  a  post¬ 
ponement  which  has*  caused  the  original  plan  to  be  carried 
out  on  a  scale  so  far  beyond  what  was  first  intended.  Let 
us  rather  congratulate  ourselves  that  the  final  execution  has 
been  reserved  for  a  time  when  the  real  merit  of  Roger 
Williams  is  much  better  appreciated,  and  for  a  generation 
whose  ampler  means  allow  a  more  adequate  tribute,  and  for 

4 


26 


ADDRESS. 


an  artist,  who  charged  with  the  difficult  task  of  embodying  in 
ideal  form  one  of  whom  no  authentic  likeness  has  been 
preserved,  has  divined  with  such  admirable  insight  those 
characteristics  of  the  man  which  establish  his  chief  claim  to 
our  veneration.  And  if  to  any  who  now  hear  me,  it  may 
seem  that  some  more  central  or  conspicuous  site  befits  so 
elaborate  a  work,  let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  statue  of 
Roger  Williams  stands  in  the  midst  of  fields  which  he 
received  as  a  free  gift  from  the  great  sachems  Canonicus  and 
Miantunnomi  in  grateful  recognition  of  the  many  kind  ser¬ 
vices  he  had  continually  done  them,  which  for  more  than 
two  centuries  remained  in  the  uninterrupted  possession  of 
his  posterity,  and  which  have  only  passed  from  their  hands 
to  be  forever  preserved  for  the  public  use.  What  more 
fitting  site  could  have  been  selected  than  a  spot  which  thus 
recalls  the  estimate  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  original 
possessors  of  the  soil? 

These  ceremonies  would  be  incomplete  without  a  brief 
summary  of  the  career  and  services  of  him  to  whom  we  pay 
this  unusual  tribute.  In  thus  setting  up,  with  solemn 
religious  rite,  a  memorial  whose  endixring  bronze  and  granite 
shall  attest  to  coming  generations  our  estimate  of  Roger 
Williams,  we  owe  to  ourselves,  we  owe  to  those  who  shall 
gaze  upon  it  with  respectful  interest  after  we  are  gone,  a 
deliberate  statement  of  the  grounds  on  which  that  estimate 
is  based.  And  on  the  present  occasion  such  a  survey  is 
something  more  than  a  becoming  close  to  these  public 
exercises.  For  as  we  consider  the  thoughtful  features  that 
have  just  been  unveiled,  we  cannot  forget  that  they  are  the 
lineaments  of  one  respecting  whom  the  judgments  of  men 
have  been  much  divided,  of  one  whose  career  has  given  rise 
to  more  difference  of  opinion  than  has  existed  respecting  any 


ADDRESS. 


27 


prominent  actor  in  our  early  New  England  history.  There 
is,  therefore,  the  more  need  to-day,  that  we  place  on  record, 
even  at  the  risk  of  reciting  a  familiar  story,  the  considerations 
that  have  moved  us  to  this  step.  A  work  which  three 
generations  have  waited  to  see  finished  ought  surely  to  be 
the  fruit  of  intelligent  conviction.  Let  us  then  seek  to  set 
before  us  precisely  what  manner  of  man  Roger  Williams  was, 
and  precisely  what  work  it  was  that  he  accomplished.  After 
he  has  lain  in  the  grave  for  well-nigh  two  hundred  years  the 
time  has  surely  come  for  an  unprejudiced  estimate  of  the 
real  service  which  he  rendered,  as  well  to  this  community 
as  to  the  world.  A  proper  local  pride  may  make  us  jealous 
of  the  good  name  of  one  whose  career  gives  the  distinctive 
significance  to  our  early  history,  yet  if  he  has  really  done 
anything  worthy  to  be  remembered,  he  does  not  stand  in 
need  of  mere  eulogium  from  us.  The  best  service  we  can 
pay  his  memory  is  to  place  him  in  his'true  light ;  to  assign  him 
his  rightful  rank  among  the  venerated  names  of  the  past ; 
to  make  him  if  possible  stand  forth  on  the  page  of  his¬ 
tory  in  all  the  essential  outlines  of  his  chararcter  as  clear 
and  distinct  as,  by  the  hand  of  genius,  his  visible  form  is 
made  to  stand  before  us  now. 

And  should  the  natural  inquiry  here  arise,  why  has  the 
merit  of  Roger  Williams  been  so  much  more  debated  than 
that  of  his  contemporaries,  some  of  the  foremost  of  whom 
have  left  on  record  such  a  generous  estimate  of  his  character 
and  motives,  the  simple  answer  is,  that  those  who  have 
judged  him  most  favorably,  and  those  who  have  passed  the 
most  adverse  sentence  on  him,  have  equally  agreed  in  assign¬ 
ing  the  most  conspicuous  place  to  what  was  only,  a  passing 
episode  in  liis  career.  It  was  his  fate,  soon,  almost  as  he 
landed  on  these  shores,  to  be  placed  in  antagonism  with  a 


28 


ADDRESS. 


singularly  compact  and  homogeneous  community,  a  commu¬ 
nity  whose  early  eminence  in  letters  afforded  it  a  marked 
advantage  in  impressing  upon  posterity  its  own  view  of  any 
transaction  in  which  it  bore  a  part.  It  almost  of  necessity 
followed,  that  when  the  earliest  attempts  were  made  to 
vindicate  his  memory,  the  line  of  attack  became  the  line  of 
defence,  and  thus  a  wholly  disproportioned  space  was  assigned 
to  his  controversy  with  the  Massachusetts  colony.  Unfortu¬ 
nate^,  those  who  for  a  long  time  felt  most  interest  in  this 
controversy  failed  to  estimate  correctly  its  true  aspects.  On 
the  one  hand  it  was  hastily  assumed  that  the  course  pursued 
by  the  puritans  could  he  successfully  defended  only  by 
representing  Roger  Williams  in  the  most  odious  light,  while 
on  the  other  hand  it  was  supposed  with  as  little  reason  that 
his  reputation  could  be  vindicated  best  by  denouncing  in 
most  unmeasured  terms  the  inconsistency  which  fled  from 
persecution  in  the  old  world  only,  in  turn,  to  persecute  for 
mere  opinions’  sake  in  the  new.  Hence  Roger  Williams 
came  to  be  held  up  either  as  a  headstrong  enthusiast,  a 
disturber  of  the  public  peace  ;  or  as  a  martyr  for  conscience 
sake,  who  suffered  exile  solely  for  his  unflinching  advocacy 
of  the  great  principle  of  religious  liberty.  But  this  episode 
had  no  such  supreme  significance  as  has  been  assigned  to 
it.  Had  his  career  closed  with  this,  we  should  not  be  here 
to-day,  for  it  is  not  on  any,  which  attitude  he  assumed  at  this 
time  that  his  claim  to  be  remembered  rests.  It  is  only  in 
the  light  thrown  back  upon  it  by  subsequent  events,  that 
the  controversy  demands  even  a  passing  notice  on  this 
occasion.  When  in  the  month  of  February,  1631,  Roger 
Williams  landed  at  Boston,  from  the  ship  Lyon,  he  was  still 
a  young  man.  While  very  little  is  known  respecting  him, 
his  whole  later  history  leaves  no  doubt  that  when  young  he 


ADDRESS.  29 


was  ardent,  impulsive,  fearless,  foncl  of  disputation,  perfectly 
frank  in  the  expression  of  his  opinions.  From  the  language 
with  which  Winthrop  notes  his  arrival  as  a  “godly  minister,” 
he  would  seem  to  have  received  orders  in  the  English  church ; 
but  he  had  renounced  gains  and  preferments  rather  than  act 
with  a  doubting  conscience  in  conforming  to  a  national 
establishment.  Though  he  came  on  the  flood-tide  of  the 
great  puritan  migration,  he  did  not  come  as  a  part  of  it.  It 
does  not  appear  that  he  was  specially  concerned  in  the 
memorable  enterprise  which  had  just  been  undertaken  by 
Winthrop  and  his  associates  ;  for  he  never  became  a  freeman 
of  the  colony  where  he  made  his  residence.  In  the  series  of 
shrewd,  well  considered  steps  by  which  a  private  trading 
corporation  was  silently  converted  into  a  body  politic,  he 
seems  to  have  felt  no  interest ;  nor  was  the  ultimate  success 
of  the  experiment  a  matter  which  he  ever  had  at  heart.  It 
may  be  doubted  whether  his  mind  even  took  in  its  full 
dimensions.  A  man  of  speculation  rather  than  action,  an 
enthusiast  in  the  pursuit  of  ideal  truth,  he  came  a  pilgrim  to 
these  shores,  in  search,  not  of  a  thrifty  and  well  organized 
plantation  “  with  a  religious  idea  behind  it,”  birt  of  a  prom¬ 
ised  land,  where  truth  and  peace  might  have  their  “  endless 
date  of  pure  and  sweetest  joys.”  In  his  own  touching 
words  he  had  “  tasted  the  bitterness  of  death,”  that  lie 
might  “keep  his  soul  undefiled.”  It  was  a  foregone  conclu¬ 
sion  that  such  a  man  should  come  in  conflict  with  the 
community  which  received  him,  at  first,  with  cordial  wel¬ 
come  ;  a  community  without  a  parallel  in  the  history  of 
colonial  enterprise,  welded  together  by  a  common  faith, 
inflexibly  resolved  on  the  accomplishment  of  definite  ends, 
earnest  to  establish  a  reign  of  righteousness;  but  intolerant 
of  difference  of  opinion,  regarding  liberty  of  conscience  with 


30 


ADDRESS 


1! 


equal  fear  and  hate,  and  above  all,  a  community  where 
civil  and  religious  institutions  were  so  singularly  blended 
that  the  advancement  of  pure  religion  was  viewed  as  one 
of  the  primary  functions  of  the  civil  magistrate.  Against 
this  community,  so  jealous  of  their  rights,  so  resolved  on  the 
exclusive  enjoyment  of  them,  “knit  together  as  one  man, 
always  having  before  their  eyes  their  commission  as  members 
of  the  same  body,”  the  headstrong  enthusiast  dashed  himself. 
He  had  hardly  landed,  when  we  find  him  denouncing  the 
Boston  congregation  for  not  separating  wholly  from  the 
church  of  England.  He  next  raised  a  question  respecting 
the  power  of  the  civil  magistrate,  which  cut  at  the  roots  of 
the  theocratic  system  already  so  firmly  planted ;  he  opposed 
the  freeman’s  oath ;  and  he  did  all  this,  not  in  a  period  of 
profound  calm,  when  the  freest  discussion  of  fundamental 
principles  might  be  safely  tolerated,  but  at  an  anxious  crisis 
when  the  very  existence  of  the  company  was  at  stake ;  when 
it  was  known  that  in  the  privy  council  grave  charges  were 
insinuated  that  the  colonists  had  virtually  cast  off  their 
allegiance,  and  were  planning  to  be  wholly  separated  from 
the  church  and  laws  of  England ;  when  an  order  in 
council  had  actually  been  obtained  for  the  production  of 
the  charter ;  when  the  influx  of  new  comers  threatened  to 
weaken  essentially,  if  not  destroy,  that  unity  of  belief  and 
action  which  the  founders  of  the  colony  had  regarded  as  a 
fundamental  condition  of  their  enterprise. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  course  pursued  towards 

V  ■* 

Roger  Williams  was  not  exceptional.  What  was  done  to  him 
had  been  done  in  repeated  instances  before.  Within  the  first 
year  of  its  settlement  the  colony  had  passed  sentence  of 
exclusion  from  its  territory  upon  no  less  than  fourteen 
persons.  It  was  the  ordinary  method  by  which  a  corporate 


ADDRESS. 


31 


body  would  deal  with  those  whose  presence  no  longer 
seemed  desirable.  Conceiving  themselves  to  be,  by  patent 
the  exclusive  possessors  of  the  soil,  soil  which  they  had 
purchased  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  personal  and 
private  ends,  the  colonists  never  doubted  their  competency  to 
fix  the  terms  on  which  others  should  be  allowed  to  share  in 
their  undertaking.  So  far  from  being  exceptionally  harsh, 
their  treatment  of  Roger  Williams  was  marked  by  unusual 
lenity.  His  “  sorrowful  winter  flight,”  when  for  fourteen 
weeks  he  was  so  severely  tossed,  “  not  knowing  what  bread 
or  bed  did  mean,”  was  no  part  of  the  official  sentence 
pronounced  against  him,  but  hardship  which  he  voluntarily 
assumed. 

While  there  is  some  discrepancy  in  the  contemporary, 
accounts  of  this  transaction,  there  is  entire  agreement  on  one 
point,  that  the  assertion  by  Roger  Williams  of  the  doctrine 
of  “  soul-liberty  ”  was  not  the  head  and  front  of  his  offend¬ 
ing.  Whatever  was  meant  by  the  vague  charge  in  the  final 
sentence  that  he  had  “  broached  and  divulged  new  and 
dangerous  opinions,  against  the  authority  of  magistrates,”  it 
did  not  mean  that  he  had  made  emphatic  the  broad  doctrine 
of  the  entire  separation  of  church  and  state.  We  have  his 
own  testimony  on  this  point.  In  several  allusions  to  the  sub¬ 
ject  in  his  later  writings,  and  it  can  hardly  be  supposed  that 
in  a  matter  which  he  felt  so  sorely  his  memory  would  have 
betrayed  him,  he  never  assigns  to  his  opinion  respecting  the 
power  of  the  civil  magistrate  more  than  a  secondary  place. 
He  repeatedly  affirms  that  the  chief  causes  of  his  banish¬ 
ment  were  his  extreme  views  regarding  separation,  and  his 
denouncing  of  the  patent.  Had  he  been  himself  conscious  of 
having  incurred  the  hostility  of  the  Massachusetts  colony  for 
asserting  the  great  principle  with  which  he  was  afterwards 


32 


ADD  EES  S. 


identified,  he  would  surely  have  laid  stress  upon  it.  It  is 
true  that  almost  from  the  day  he  landed  some  form  of  this 
principle  seemed  floating  before  his  mind.  One  of  the  very 
earliest  charges  brought  against  him  was,  having  broached 
the  novel  opinion  that  the  magistrate  might  not  punish  the 
breach  of  the  sabbath,  nor  any  other  offence  against  the  first 
table  ;  and  in  the  final  proceedings  this  same  offence  was 
made  the  ground  of  the  foremost  accusation  brought  against 
him.  It  is  clear  that  the  conviction  had  a  strong  hold  upon 
his  own  mind,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  “  in  the  spacious 
circuits  of  his  musing  ”  he  already  saw  the  fundamental  place 
it  held  ;  but  it  is  equally  clear  that  in  the  long  controversy  it 
had  become  covered  up  by  other  issues,  and  that  his  oppo¬ 
nents,  at  least,  did  not  regard  it  as  his  most  dangerous  heresy, 
So  far  as  it  was  a  mere  speculative  opinion  it  was  not  new. 
It  had  been  explicitly  affirmed  in  the  confession  of  the 
English  Baptists  at  Amsterdam,  put  forth  in  the  year  1611, 
and  according  to  Cotton  there  were  many  known  to  hold  this 
opinion  in  Massachusetts,  who  were  tolerated  “  not  only  to 
live  in  the  commonwealth,  but  also  in  the  fellowship  of  the 
churches.” 

I  repeat,  that  the  reputation  of  Roger  Williams  has  suf¬ 
fered  because  such  undue  importance  has  been  assigned 
to  the  transaction  which  I  have  just  narrated.  When 
carefully  examined  it  will  be  seen  that  no  such  significance 
belongs  to  it.  To  upbraid  the  puritans  as  unrelenting  per¬ 
secutors,  or  extol  Roger  Williams  as  a  martyr  to  the  cause 
of  religious  liberty,  is  equally  wide  of  the  real  fact.  On  the 
one  hand,  the  controversy  had  its  origin  in  the  passionate  and 
precipitate  zeal  of  a  young  man  whose  relish  for  disputation 
made  him  never  unwilling  to  encounter  opposition,  and  on 
the  other,  in  the  exigencies  of  a  unique  community,  where 


ADDRESS. 


33 


the  instincts  of  a  private  corporation  hacl  not  yet  expanded 
into  the  more  liberal  policy  of  a  body  politic.  If  we 
cannot  impute  to  the  colony  any  large  statesmanship,  so 
neither  can  we  wholly  acquit  Roger  Williams  of  the  charge 
of  mixing  great  principles  with  some  whimsical  conceits.  The 
years  which  he  passed  in  Massachusetts  were  years  of  disci¬ 
pline  and  growth,  when  he  doubtless  already  cherished 
in  his  active  brain  the  germs  of  the  principles  which  he  after¬ 
wards  developed ;  but  the  fruit  was  destined  to  be  ripened 
under  another  sky.  Though  he  himself,  at  a  later  period 
complained  bitterly  of  the  treatment  which  he  had  received, 
yet  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  for  him  exile  from  Massachu¬ 
setts  was  an  incalculable  boon.  As  rightly  put  by  his  great 
antagonist,  John  Cotton,  though  in  a  far  deeper  and  truer 
sense  than  was  intended,  “  it  was  not  banishment  but  enlarge¬ 
ment,” — it  determined  him  to  another,  a  wider,  a  far  more 
beneficent  career.  Had  he  remained  in  Massachusetts,  he 
would  only  be  remembered  as  a  godly  but  contentious  puri¬ 
tan  divine.  Removed  for  a  time  from  tl^e  heated  atmosphere 
of  controversy,  he  first  saw  in  its  true  proportions  the  great 
principle  which  has  shed  enduring  lustre  on  his  name.  His 
personal  characteristics  also  present  themselves  in  a  far  more 
engaging  light  when  winning  the  confidence  of  the  shy  Narra- 
gansett  sachems,  than  in  wrangling  with  his  brethren  of  the 
bay.  It  would  almost  seem  as  if  Winthrop  himself  had  some 
presentiment  of  this  larger  future  that  lay  before  the  exile, 
when,  with  the  kindness  that  never  failed,  he  urged  Williams 
to  steer  his  course  to  these  shores,  “  for  many  high,  heavenly 
and  public  ends.”  Ipass  gladly  to  consider  him  as  he  emerges 
on  this  new  stage,  where  his  admirable  qualities,  his  benevo¬ 
lence,  his  intellectual  breadth,  his  rare  spiritual  insight  were 
revealed  in  their  clearest  light.  The  solemn  bar  before  which 


5 


34 


ADDRESS. 


the  actors  in  the  world’s  history  are  made  to  pass  for  judg¬ 
ment  is  not  a  petty  police-court,  turning  its  microscopic  eye 
simply  on  their  shortcomings,  but  a  tribunal  which  weighs 
the  good  against  the  evil  that  men  have  done,  and  which 
fulfils  its  high  and  sacred  functions  not  less  in  applauding 
the  one  than  in  condemning  the  other.  Few  indeed  would 
remain  to  claim  our  reverence  if  we  were  only  curious  about 
their  faults. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1636  that  Roger  Williams,  accepting 
the  hint  privately  conveyed  fiom  Winthrop  as  a  “  voice  from 
God,”  began  to  build  and  plant  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Seekonk,  a  little  distance  above  the  present  Central  bridge. 
But  upon  receiving  from  the  authorities  of  Plymouth  a 
friendly  intimation  that  he  had  settled  within  their  bounds, 
he  cheerfully,  though  with  great  inconvenience  to  himself, 
set  out  in  quest  of  another  habitation.  Early  in  the  month 
of  June,  when  external  nature  in  this  region  is  decked  in  her 
loveliest  attire,  he  launched  on  this  brief  but  memorable 
voyage.  Five  companions  were  with  him  in  his  canoe.  The 
pleasing  tradition  has  always  been  preserved  that,  as  he  ap¬ 
proached  the  opposite  bank,  a  group  of  Indians  greeted  him 
with  a  friendly  salutation,  and  that  he  stepped  to  return 
their  welcome  on  the  rock  which  for  years  has  been  one 
of  our  cherished  historic  spots ;  but  which  I  fear,  in  the 
march  of  modern  improvement,  is  destined  to  become  to  our 

• 

children  a  mythical  locality.  Once  more  embarking,  and 
rounding  the  two  promontories  which,  with  their  crowded 
wharves  and  network  of  iron  rails,  have  so  little  to  remind 
us  of  the  winding  shore  and  fair  undulations  of  peaceful  wood¬ 
land  that  greeted  his  gaze,  he  turned  to  the  north,  and  pad¬ 
dling  till  he  reached  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream  which 
poured  its  limpid  current  into  a  wide  cove,  there  made  his  final 


ADDRESS. 


35 


landing.  A  spring  of  delicious  water  gushing  from  the  foot 
of  the  steep  hill  probably  determined  the  precise  locality.  In 
grateful  recognition  of  the  guiding  hand  which  he  never 
doubted  had  led  him  in  all  his  way,  he  named  the  place 
Providence. 

The  name  has  become  familiar  on  our  lips  and  few,  as  they 
now  pronounce  it,  ever  pause  to  consider  how  much  it  means. 
It  is  a  word  that  carries  with  it  a  commentary  on  the  career 
of  him  who  chose  it.  The  early  settlers  of  Massachusetts 
brought  with  them  tender  memories  of  the  homes  they  had 
left  behind.  In  the  names  which  they  selected  for  their  new 
settlements  they  gave  evidence  of  the  touching  solicitude 
with  which  these  memories  were  cherished.  But  when  the 
founder  of  Providence  pillowed  his  weary  head  for  the  first 
time  by  the  mouth  of  the  Mooshausic,  his  thoughts  turned 
not  to  an  earthly  home,  but  to  a  home  above.  Thrice  an 
exile  and  a  pilgrim,  he  now  saw  in  his  dreams  only  the  open 
skies  and  the  protecting  angels  of  an  invisible  power.  Years 
after,  in  writing  of  this  incident,  he  says  “  I  turned  my  course 
from  Salem  unto  these  parts,  wherein  I  may  say  Peniel,  that 
is,  I  have  seen  the  face  of  God.”  The  dreamy,  mystical, 
unworldly  temper  of  Roger  Williams  is  no  where  made  more 
evident  than  in  this  unique  designation  which  he  selected  for 
his  infant  settlement. 

In  thus  settling  upon  the  shores  of  the  Narragansett  nothing 
was  farther  from  the  thoughts  of  Williams  than  to  become 
the  founder  of  a  new  colony.  Still  less  was  it  his  aim,  like 
Blackstone,  who  was  here  before  him,  merely  to  escape  the 
tyranny  of  the  “  lords  brethren,”  and  secure  for  himself,  in 
solitude,  the  largest  individual  liberty.  His  end  was  nobler 
and  more  unselfish  than  that.  The  great  purpose  that  led 
him  here  was  simply  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Indians  ;  to 


86 


ADDRESS. 


quote  his  own  words,  “  my  sole  desire  was  to  do  the  natives 
good.”  The  impulse  surely  was  as  lofty  as  that  which  had 
led  the  puritans,  sixteen  years  before,  to  seek  in  Massa¬ 
chusetts,  “  a  place  of  co-habitation  and  consortship,”  where 
only  those  who  adopted  their  precise  creed  should  be 
welcomed  to  their  narrow  domain.  Already  with  this  end  in 
view  he  had  made,  long  before  his  banishment,  a  diligent 
study  of  the  native  languages.  “  God  was  pleased,”  he 
writes,  “  to  give  me  a  painful,  patient  spirit,  to  lodge  with 
them  in  their  filthy,  smoky  holes,  even  while  I  lived  at 
Plymouth  and  Salem,  to  gain  their  tongue.”  His  exile 
seemed  to  open  the  door  to  this  endeavor.  Yet  the  same 
benevolence  which  had  led  him  to  make  his  own  misfortunes 
a  means  of  good  to  the  Indians,  constrained  him  not  to  refuse 
an  asylum  to  such  as  had  suffered  like  himself.  Not  to 
promote  any  private  interest,  but  “  out  of  pity,”  he  permitted 
others  to  come  with  him.  A  few  had  joined  him  while  still 
at  Seekonk  ;  more  followed  him  after  he  had  fixed  himself  at 
Providence.  The  territory  belonged  to  him  alone.  In 
obtaining  it  he  acted  on  the  principle  which  he  had  so 
earnestly  avowed,  that  the  Indians  were  the  rightful  proprie¬ 
tors  of  the  lands  they  occupied,  and  that  no  English  patent 
could  convey  a  complete  title  to  it.  But  though  he  was 
obliged  to  mortgage  his  house  in  Salem  to  secure  the  means 
of  making  presents  to  the  Narragansett  sachems,  it  was  not 
by  money  that  the  land  was  purchased.  “  It  was  not,”  he 
affirms,  “  thousands,  nor  tens  of  thousands  of  money  that 
could  have  bought  an  English  entrance  into  this  bay,  but  I 
was  the  procurer  of  the  purchase  by  that  language,  acquaint¬ 
ance  and  favor  with  the  natives,  and  other  advantages,  which 
it  pleased  God  to  give  me.”  The  land  was  conveyed  to  him 
by  formal  deed  from  Canonicus  and  Miantunnomi,  and  “  was 


ADDRESS. 


37 


liis  as  much  as  any  man’s  coat  upon  his  back.”  Thus  circum¬ 
stances  which  he  had  not  at  first  foreseen,  caused  a  modifica¬ 
tion  of  his  plan.  Desiring  to  make  his  purchase  a  “  shelter 
for  persons  distressed  for  conscience,”  and  considering  the 
condition  of  divers  of  his  countrymen,  he  “  communicated 
his  said  purchase  unto  his  loving  friends.”  In  accordance 
with  this  modified  purpose,  he  executed  a  deed  giving  an 
equal  share  with  himself  to  twelve  of  his  companions,  “  and 
such  others  as  the  major  part  shall  admit  into  the  same  fellow¬ 
ship  of  vote.”  Such  was  the  simple  beginning  of  the  little 
settlement  long  known  as  the  Providence  plantations.  Had 
Roger  Williams  loved  power,  he  might  have  secured  for  him¬ 
self  some  kind  of  preeminence.  The  philanthropic  Penn 
did  not  disdain  such  a  course.  But  the  founder  of  Provi¬ 
dence  chose  to  admit  his  associates  on  terms  of  perfect  equal¬ 
ity.  In  providing  a  shelter  for  the  poor  and  the  persecuted, 
“  according  to  their  several  persuasions,”  he  established  a 
commonwealth  in  “  the  unmixed  form  of  a  pure  democ¬ 
racy.” 

Still  remarkable  as  were  the  circumstances  under  which 
the  infant  community  struggled  into  life,  these  do  not  fur¬ 
nish  its  distinctive  claim  to  our  attention.  It  was  not  for  the 
broad  foundation  on  which  it  rested  all  civil  power,  but  for 
the  novel  limitation  which  it  imposed  on  the  exercise  of 
that  power  that  it  holds  a  place  in  history  so  disproportioned 
to  its  importance  in  every  other  respect.  Opened  as  an  asy¬ 
lum  for  the  distressed  in  conscience,  it  seems  from  the  outset 
to  have  been  tacitly  assumed  that  conscience  should  never  be 
restrained.  Hence  Williams,  in  seeking  the  advice  of  Win- 
throp  as  to  the  mode  by  which  the  new  settlement  could 
best  become  “  compact  in  a  civil  way  and  power,”  makes 
no  allusion  to  the  principle  which  he  had  asserted  so  re- 


38 


ADDRESS. 


cently  in  Massachusetts.  But  it  would  be  absurd  to  argue 
from  this  omission  that  the  principle  had  lost  any  of  its  im¬ 
portance  in  his  mind.  When  the  actual  covenant  was 
drawn  up,  which  became  the  basis  of  public  order,  in  ex¬ 
tracting  from  the  inhabitants  a  pledge  of  active  and 
passive  obedience  to  all  orders,  made  by  the  major  consent, 
for  the  public  good,  the  provision  was  expressly  added  that 
this  should  be  “only  in  civil  things.” 

Thus,  for  the  first  time  in  history,  a  form  of  government 
was  adopted  which  drew  a  clear  and  unmistakable  line  be¬ 
tween  the  temporal  and  the  spiritiral  power,  and  a  commu¬ 
nity  came  into  being  which  was  an  anomaly  among  the 
the  nations.  The  compact  signed  by  the  pilgrims  in  the 
cabin  of  the  Mayflower  has  been  praised  as  the  earliest 
attempt  to  institute  a  government  on  the  basis  of  the  general 
good  ;  surely  the  covenant  subscribed  by  the  settlers  of 
Providence  deserves  a  place  beside  it,  as  a  first  embodiment 
in  an  actual  experiment  of  the  great  principle  of  unre¬ 
stricted  religious  liberty.  In  either  case  the  settlements  were 
small  and  the  immediate  results  were  unimportant;  but  the 
principles  were  world-wide  in  their  application.  The  Provi¬ 
dence  document  was,  in  fact,  the  more  significant,  since  the 
political  maxim  that  lay  imbedded  in  the  Mayflower  compact 
was  implied  rather  than  consciously  affirmed,  while  the  prin¬ 
ciple  to  which  Roger  Williams  and  his  associates  set  their 
hands,  was  intentionally  and  deliberately  adopted  as  the  cor¬ 
ner-stone  of  the  new  structure  they  were  building. 

The  community  which  grew  into  shape  at  Providence 
embodied  in  a  “  lively  experiment  ”  the  principle  which 
Roger  Williams  had  so  strenuously  maintained.  Let  us  now 
examine  his  position,  and  ascertain  precisely  in  what  sense 
this  experiment  was  novel.  Had  we  no  other  information 


ADDRESS. 


39 


than  the  vague  charges  brought  against  him  in  Massachusetts, 
or  the  significant  clause  attached  to  the  Providence  covenant, 
his  exact  theory  would  have  remained  a  matter  of  conjecture. 
How  clearly  it  was  held,  how  carefully  it  was  limited,  there 
would  have  been  no  way  of  accurately  ascertaining. 
But  fortunately  he  has  left  his  views  on  record,  and  we  may 
know  precisely  what  meed  of  praise  is  due  him.  He 
has  himself  supplied  us  with  abundant  means  of  making 
ourselves  familiar  with  the  arguments  with  which  he  “  main¬ 
tained  the  rocky  strength  ”  of  his  impregnable  position. 
When  in  England,  engaged  in  procuring  from  the  long 
parliament  the  earliest  patent  for  Rhode  Island,  he  found 
time,'  amid  engrossing  duties,  to  publish  his  famous  volume 
“The  Bloudy  Tenent  of  Persecution,  for  Cause  of  Conscience.” 
and  it  is  in  this  volume,  printed  in  the  year  1644,  that  we 
find  the  first  full  expression  of  his  opinions.  They  are 
views  which  he  had  long  been  meditating,  which  it  cannot  be 
doubted  he  was  revolving  in  some  form  when  he  first 
arrived  in  Massachusetts;  but  which,  it  can  be  as  little 
doubted,  meditation  and  experience  had  matured.  The 
book  throughout  is  of  a  piece  with  his  whole  previous  career. 
It  was  rapidly  written  ;  as  he  tells  us  himself  “in  change  of 
rooms  and  corners,  yea,  sometimes  in  variety  of  strange 
houses,  sometimes  in  fields  in  the  midst  of  travel.”  The 
style  is  not  unfrequently  confused,  as  though  the  earnest 
flow  of  the  writer’s  thoughts  left  the  pen  lagging  behind; 
and  the  course  of  the  argument  is  not  always  well  held  in 
hand.  Still  each  page  is  stamped  with  most  intense  convic¬ 
tion,  and  in  some  passages  the  language  has  a  passionate 
warmth  of  imagery  that  almost  becomes  poetic.  The  per¬ 
sonal  characteristics  of  Luther  are  not  more  distinctly  re¬ 
vealed  in  his  writings  than  are  those  of  Roger  Williams. 


40 


ADDRESS. 


But  wliat  especially  marks  the  “  Bloudy  Tenent”  is  the  clear 
conception  of  one  great  principle  that  runs  through  it,  and 
the  boldness  with  which  every  logical  deduction  from  this 
principle  is  accepted. 

The  doctrine  laid  down  in  the  book  is  that  of  the  radical 
and  complete  separation  of  the  spiritual  and  temporal  prov¬ 
inces.  Roger  Williams  was  profoundly  sensible  of  the  funda~ 
mental  importance  of  religion  to  the  welfare  of  society,  and 
he  affirms  in  the  most  emphatic  manner  the  obligation  of 
every  human  being  to  love  God  and  to  obey  his  laws.  We 
could  not  do  him  a  greater  wrong,  and  could  not  more  com¬ 
pletely  misapprehend  his  meaning  than  by  confounding  his 
theory  with  the  secular  theory  which  has  come  to  prevail  in 
our  time,  which  not  only  separates  church  and  state,  but 
insists  on  regarding  religion  as  of  secondary  consequence. 
While  he  removes  religion  from  the  care  of  the  civil  magis¬ 
trate  he  does  not  weaken  in  the  slightest  its  binding  obliga¬ 
tion.  But  this  obligation  binds  the  soul  of  man  only  to  his 
maker  ;  no  fellow-man  has  a  right  to  come  between.  God 
has  delegated  to  no  one  authority  over  the  human  soul. 
Under  the  old  dispensation  he  prescribed  the  mode  by  which 
he  chose  to  be  worshipped,  but  under  the  new  this  was  left 

free,  and  all  human  laws  prescribing  or  forbidding  rites  or 

* 

doctrines  not  inconsistent  with  civil  peace,  are  an  invasion  of 
the  divine  prerogative.  Belief  cannot  be  forced ;  to  make 
the  attempt  is  only  to  cause  hypocrisy.  To  determine  the 
standard  of  belief  the  civil  authority  must  be  itself  infallible  ; 
if  permitted  to  regulate  conscience,  the  magistrate  will  only 
make  his  own  views  the  standard  of  truth.  In  these  proposi¬ 
tions  we  have  the  great  doctrine  of  liberty  of  conscience  first 
asserted  in  its  plenitude. 

It  is  no  less  important  to  observe  how,  in  the  clear  appre¬ 
hension  of  Roger  Williams,  this  principle  was  limited.  To 


ADDRESS. 


41 


those  who  were  firmly  persuaded  that  religion  could  only 
flourish  when  protected  by  the  state,  above  all  to  those  who 
regarded  church  and  state  simply  as  two  forms  of  the  same 
thing,  it  is  not  surprising  that  his  views  seemed  subversive 
alike  of  ecclesiastical  and  civil  order.  But  because  he  so 
warmly  opposed  the  order  then  established  in  Massachusetts 
it  by  no  means  followed  that  he  was  opposed  to  all  order. 
Here  again  we  most  grieviously  mistake  him  if  we  suppose 
that  he  sought  to  weaken  the  restraints  of  law.  His  temper 
was  hasty  but  not  anarchical.  When  he  affirmed  his  doctrine 
that  the  magistrate  ought  not  to  punish  the  breach  of  the 
first  table,  he  was  careful  to  add,  “  otherwise  than  in  such 
cases  as  did  disturb  the  civil  peace.”  In  his  treatise  we  find 
this  important  qualification  not  overlooked.  He  affirms  that 
civil  society  is  necessary  to  the  happiness  of  men,  and  that 
to  ensure  its  protection,  a  sufficient  amount  of  power  must 
be  confided  to  its  rulers.  But  the  object  of  such  a  society  is 
simply  the  promotion  of  civil  interests.  Still  the  civil  and 
the  spiritual  interests  of  man  are  so  inseparable  that  even  the 
civil  magistrate  has  duties  with  reference  to  religion.  If  the 
religion  be  one  that  his  own  conscience  approves  as  true,  he 
is  bound  to  honor  it  by  personal  submission  to  its  claims,  and 
by  protecting  those  who  practice  it ;  on  the  other  hand,  if 
the  religion  be  false,  he  still  owes  it  permission  and  protection. 
But  should  a  man’s  religious  opinions  lead  him  to  practices 
which  become  offensive  to  the  peace  and  good  order  of 
society,  the  civil  magistrate  is  bound  at  once  to  interfere.  So 
long,  however,  as  this  line  is  not  passed,  not  even  pagans, 
Jews,  or  Turks  should  be  molested  by  the  civil  power  ;  or,  to 
quote  his  own  words,  “  true  civility  and  Christianity  may  both 
flourish  in  a  state  or  kingdom,  notwithstanding  the  permission 
of  divers  and  contrary  consciences,  either  of  Jews  or  Gen¬ 
tiles.” 


6 


42 


ADDRESS 


To  understand  how  far  Roger  Williams  was  the  advocate  of 
a  new  principle  we  must  carefully  bear  in  mind  that  he  was 
not  arguing  simply  for  religious  toleration.  It  is  strange  how 
this  point  has  been  misconceived  even  by  writers  who  have 
devoted  careful  study  to  the  subject.  It  is  true,  that  in  his 
letter  to  the  town  of  Providence,  so  often  quoted  as  the  most 
felicitous  expression  of  his  views,  he  seems  to  have  in  mind 
merely  the  right  of  persons  of  divers  beliefs  to  be  excused 
from  attendance  upon  the  established  worship  ;  but  evidently 
his  illustration  of  a  ship’s  company  “  not  forced  to  come  to 
the  ship’s  prayers”  is  only  a  partial  expression  of  his  theory. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  whatever  as  to  his  true  principle. 
The  doctrine  which  he  constantly  maintains  is,  not  that  men 
of  various  beliefs  should  be  tolerated  by  the  civil  power,  but 
the  far  broader  and  more  fruitful  principle  that  the  civil 
power  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  religious  belief,  save 
when  it  leads  to  some  actual  violation  of  social  order.  In  a 
word,  what  he  advocated  was  not  religious  toleration,  but  the 
entire  separation  of  the  temporal  and  spiritual  provinces. 

Mere  religious  toleration  had  long  found  advocates.  In 
the  wonderful  book  which  breathes  the  earliest  and  purest 
spirit  of  the  English  reformation,  the  Utopia  of  Sir  Thomas 
Moore,  it  is  distinctly  taught.  It  was  pathetically  urged  by 
the  great  chancellor  de  l’Hopital  on  the  brink  of  the  preci¬ 
pice  down  which  religious  fanaticism  was  precipitating 
France  ;  with  wThat  practical  effect  in  either  case,  was  shown 
by  the  fires  of  Smithfield  and  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholo¬ 
mew.  At  the  very  time  when  Roger  Williams  was  writing, 
it  had,  in  various  forms,  found  much  support  in  Eugland. 
With  the  meeting  of  the  long  parliament  it  came  to  the  fore¬ 
front  of  discussion.  In  opposition  to  the  presbyterian  theory 
of  an  asbolute  conformity  of  the  whole  nation  to  one 


ADDRESS. 


43 


established  church,  a  theory  carried  out  in  the  adoption  by 
parliament  of  the  Westminster  confession  and  discipline, 
there  were  those  who  advocated  a  limited  toleration  around 
a  national  establishment,  and  those  who  advocated  an 
establishment  with  an  unlimited  toleration  of  every  religious 
opinion.  Roger  Williams  belonged  to  neither  of  these 
parties.  What  he  claimed  was  the  entire  separation  of 
religion  from  the  civil  power.  His  position  may  be  put  in  a 
still  clearer  light  by  contrasting  what  was  done  at  Providence 
with  what  was  done  at  nearly  the  same  time  in  Maryland. 
By  the  original  charter  of  Maryland,  granted  in  1632,  Chris¬ 
tianity  as  professed  by  the  church  of  England  was  protected 
but  beyond  this,  equality  of  religious  rights  was  left 
untouched.  The  mild  forbearance  of  Calvert  caused  religious 
freedom  to  be  established  ;  but  in  awarding  praise  for  this  to 
a  catholic  proprietary,  it  must  be  remembered  that  Maryland, 
was  not  an  independant  catholic  state,  but  simply  the  colony  of 
a  protestant  kingdom.  And,  at  best,  it  was  toleration  that  was 
established.  Religious  freedom  was  a  boon  which  the  civil 
authority  had  granted,  and  which  the  same  authority  was 
competent  to  limit  or  take  away.  So  when,  in  1649,  three 
years  after  the  settlement  of  Providence,  the  legislature  of 
Maryland  placed  on  her  statute  book  an  act  for  securing 
religious  freedom,  it  was  expressly  extended  only  to  those 
who  professed  the  Christian  religion  ;  while  any  who  blas¬ 
phemed  God,  or  denied  the  trinity,  were  punished  with 
death.  Surely  no  one  can  confound  this  with  the  doctrine 
laid  down  by  Roger  Williams. 

That  Roger  Williams  completely  solved  the  difficult  prob¬ 
lem  of  the  relation  of  church  and  state  I  do  not  affirm.  That 
problem  is  more  complex  than  he  supposed,  and  since  his  day 
it  has  assumed  aspects  which  he  did  not  consider.  But  he 


44 


ADD  KESS. 


stated  it  more  clearly  than  it  had  been  stated  by  any  earlier 
writer,  and  more  than  anticipated  Jeremy  Taylor.  He 
cleared  the  path  which  even  Massachusetts  has  been  content 
to  tread.  The  principle  which  he  laid  down  is  now  the 
accepted  and  fundamental  maxim  of  American  politics. 
More  than  this,  his  distinctive  merit  lays  in  the  fact  that  he 
not  only  defended  it  as  an  abstract  principle,  but  himself 
carried  it  into  successful  operation.  In  the  ranks  of  sover¬ 
eign  honor  Lord  Bacon  assigns  the  first  to  the  founders  of 
states  and  commonwealths.  In  the  strictest  sense  it  cannot, 
perhaps,  be  claimed  for  Roger  Williams  that  he  was  even  the 
founder  of  a  colony,  for  it  was  a  procedure  for  which  he 
possessed  no  legal  authority,  and  which  formed  no  part  of 
his  original  plan.  But  since  the  settlement  at  Providence, 
Avas  the  creation  of  his  benevolence,  and  crystallized  round 
his  great  idea  and  at  last  owed  its^legal  recognition  to  his 
disinterested  labors,  it  may  look  back  reverently  to  him  as 
the  author  of  its  existence.  The  unusual  circumstances 
under  which  it  came  into  being  only  intensifies  the  grati¬ 
tude  with  which  we  hail  the  apostle  of  religious  liberty  as 
the  founder  of  Rhode  Island. 

But  it  is  time  to  consider  more  closely  the  man  himself. 
For  this  study  the  material  is  ample.  No  man  who  ever 
lived  in  New  England  has  had  every  defect  of  temper  so 
minutely  explored  and  every  inconsistency  of  conduct  so 
unsparingly  exposed.  The  day,  I  trust,  is  long  past  when 
one  in  the  position  in  which  I  stand  to-day,  is  expected 
to  vindicate  an  historical  character  from  every  charge.  Of 
that  sort  of  commemorative  discourse  we  have  had,  in  New 
England,  more  than  enough.  We  have  ceased  to  think  that 
in  the  days  of  the  fathers  only  angels  were  walking  the  earth. 
Let  us  then  grant,  without  hesitation,  that  Roger  Williams 


ADDRESS. 


45 


was  a  man  like  other  men.  Let  us  concede  that  his  “  many 
precious  parts  ”  were  coupled  in  the  early  part  of  his  career 
with  an  “  unsettled  judgment,”  that  his  “  well  approved 
teaching  ”  was  mixed  with  what  seemed  to  his  hearers 
“  strange  opinions,”  that  the  “judicious  sort  of  Christians  ” 
found  him  “  unquiet  and  unlamblike,  ”  and  that  even  his 
best  friends  deemed  him  guilty  of  “presumption”  and 
condemned  his  conduct  as  “passionate  and  precipitate;” 
yet  evidently  all  these  are  faults  of  a  generous,  a  bold, 
an  enthusiastic  spirit.  There  was  no  quality  about  him 
that  made  him  either  hated  or  despised.  On  the  con¬ 
trary,  there  was  in  all  his  trials  a  calm  courage,  an  abiding 
patience,  a  noble  disinterestedness,  an  unfailing  sweetness 
of  temper,  an  unquestioned  piety  that  won  for  him  the 
warmest  affection  even  of  those  who  opposed  him.  We 
find  Winthrop  writing  to  him  in  words  that  do  equal  honor 
to  both :  “  Sir,  we  have  often  tried  your  patience,  but  could 
never  conquer  it.”  And  the  most  accomplished  of  our  living 
critics,  Lowell,  rises  from  the  study  of  this  period  with  the 
remark  :  “  Let  me  premise  that  there  are  two  men  above  all 
others,  for  whom  our  respect  is  heightened  by  their  letters — 
the  elder  John  Winthrop  and  Roger  Williams.”  The  very 
weaknesses  and  eccentricities  of  Roger  Williams  only  make 
him  a  more  striking  character.  He  stands  out  from  the  some¬ 
what  monotonous  background  of  puritan  decorum  as  the 
mountains  of  his  native  Wales  stand  out  from  the  uniform 
sweep  of  the  English  coast.  The  recent  biographer  of 
Milton  terms  him  “  a  picturesque  figure  forever  in  early 
American  history,”  and  adds  that  no  man  of  that  age  de¬ 
serves  more  attention.  Must  he  not  have  had  about  him  some¬ 
thing  more  than  usually  winning,  who,  while  still  a  youth, 
so  gained  the  regard  of  that  morose  and  ill-tempered  man 


46 


ADDRESS. 


Sir  Edward  Coke,  that  this  greatest  master  of  English  law 
that  had  yet  appeared,  took  care  to  further  Ids  education, 
and  affectionately  addressed  him  as  his  son  ?  It  is  inter¬ 
esting  to  know  that  the  founder  of  Rhode  Island,  who  in  his 
writings  laid  down  the  principle  “  that  the  sovereign  power 
of  all  civil  authority  is  founded  in  the  consent  of  the  people,” 
thus  sat  in  his  youth,  at  the  feet  of  the  illustrious  judge  who 
was  sent  to  the  tower  for  resisting  the  encroachments  of 
arbitrary  power. 

Roger  Williams  not  only  merits  our  admiration  for  his  per¬ 
sonal  qualities,  his  intellectual  culture  was  also  generous  and 
broad.  By  the  favor  of  Coke,  he  was  sent  to  the  Charter- 
house,  then  recently  founded  by  a  liberal-minded  London 
merchant,  Thomas  Sutton,  but  since  become  one  of  the  most 
famous  of  the  great  schools  of  England.  The  chapel  stands 
to-day,  with  the  superb  monument  of  the  founder,  precisely 
as  it  stood  when  Roger  Williams  knelt  beside  it,  reciting  the 
impressive  liturgy  of  the  English  church.  On  the  long  roll 
in  which  his  name  ranks  among  the  earliest,  are  written  the 
names  of  Barrow,  of  Addison,  of  Steele,  of  John  Wesley,  of 
Blackstone,  and  to  pass  to  our  own  time,  of  GrOte  and  of 
Thackeray  ;  and  who  that  has  lingered,  with  dimmed  eye, 
over  the  chapters  which  describe  the  closing  hours  of  Colonel 
Newcome,  can  forget  how  the  memories  of  this  place  have 
been  embalmed  on  the  most  nobly  pathetic  pages  of  English 
romance.  After  receiving  the  thorough  classical  training  of 
the  Charter-house,  Roger  Williams  proceeded  to  Cambridge, 
where  he  was  matriculated  a  pensioner  of  Pembroke  college, 
in  1625,  and  took  his  degree  as  bachelor  of  arts  in  1627. 
Cambridge  was  the  great  puritan  university.  There  most  of 
the  leading  divines  of  the  New  England  churches  received 
their  education.  Thence  came  John  Cotton,  Chauncy, 


ADDRESS. 


47 


Buckley,  John  Eliot,  Hooker,  Norton,  Hugh  Peters,  Shepard, 
Ward  and  others  of  the  men  whose  piety  and  learning  did  so 
much  to  give  New  England  character  its  distinctive  shape; 
nor  is  there  any  reason  to  suppose  that  Roger  Williams,  while 
at  Cambridge,  was  a  less  apt  or  less  diligent  scholar  than  any 
of  these. 

How  diligently  these  rare  opportunities  of  culture  were 
used,  may  be  gathered  from  a  glance  at  those  with  whom, 
afterwards,  he  stood  on  a  footing  of  most  familiar  companion¬ 
ship.  Through  life  his  most  trusted  counselor  was  the  wise, 
the  discriminating,  the  magnanimous  Winthrop,  who,  he 
declares  “  tenderly  loved  him  to  his  last  breath.”  Next  we 
find  him  winning  the  warmest  regard  of  young  Harry  Vane, 
like  himself  an  enthusiast  for  ideal  truth,  misunderstood  by 
the  community  in  which  his  lot  was  cast,  but  a  spirit  touched 
to  the  finest  issues,  whom  even  his  enemy  Clarendon  terms 
“  a  man  of  extraordinary  parts,  ”  and  whom  Milton  praised 
as  a  senator  unsurpassed  in  Roman  story.  When  the 

acquaintance  of  Williams  with  Vane  began,  we  are  not 

informed  ;  but  it  must  have  been  soon  after  the  latter’s 
arrival  in  this  country,  since,  in  speaking  of  the  settlement 
of  Aquidnet,  Williams  says  :  “  It  was  not  price  nor  money 
that  could  have  purchased  Rhode  Island.  It  was  purchased  by 
the  love  and  favor  which  that  honorable  gentleman,  Sir 

Harry  Vane,  and  myself  had  with  the  great  sachem 

Miantunnomi.”  The  name  of  Roger  Williams  is  peculiarly 
connected  with  the  most  brilliant  statesman  of  the  common¬ 
wealth  ;  for  mainly  through  the  friendly  intervention  of 
Vane  the  charter  of  the  Providence  plantations  was  obtained, 
so,  that  to  Vane  more  directly  than  to  Williams,  Rhode  Island 
owes  her  actual  political  existence.  At  the  country-seat  of 
Vane,  Williams,  when  in  England,  was  always  a  welcome 


48 


ADDRESS. 


guest.  But  in  the  circle  of  his  chosen  friends  was  one 
more  famous  than  Vane.  During  his  second  visit  to  England, 
we  find  him  instructing  John  Milton  in  Dutch,  who  in  return 
read  him  “  many  more  languages.”  It  is  easy  to  surmise  how 
two  such  kindred  spirits  were  drawn  together.  When  his 
“  Bloudy  Tenent”  had  appeared,  in  1644,  it  had  been  ranked 
with  Milton’s  “  Treatise  on  Divorce,”  as  containing  “  most 
damnable  doctrines.”  They  had  stood  side  by  side  in  the 
great  battle  for  freedom  of  thought,  though  even  Milton  in  the 
magnificent  bursts  of  his  “  Liberty  of  Unlicensed  Printing,” 
did  not  advocate  a  liberty  of  conscience  so  complete  and 
absolute  as  that  claimed  by  Roger  Williams.  He  seems  to 
have  had  in  mind  rather  toleration  than  perfect  freedom. 
With  the  great  protector,  too,  the  founder  of  Providence  was 
sometimes  admitted  to  “  close  discourse.”  I  need  not  pause 
to  comment  on  the  kind  of  man  he  must  have  been  who 
was  permitted  even  the  occasional  companionship  of  Vane, 
of  Milton,  and  of  Cromwell 

One  of  the  most  grievous  charges  brought  against  Roger 
Williams  is  based  on  the  apparent  vacillation  of  his  opinions. 
“He  had,”  said  Cotton  Mather,  “a  windmill  in  his  head.” 
But  these  changes  were  far  less  significant  than  is  commonly 
supposed.  With  regard  to  the  great  principle  with  which 
his  name  is  connected,  he  never  wavered  in  the  slightest.  On 
some  minor  points  that  entered  into  his  controversy  with 
Massachusetts,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  experience  modified  his 
views.  But  with  his  religious  belief  there  was  very  little 
change.  He  was  a  sturdy,  uncompromising  separatist,  when 
he  renounced  the  communion  of  the  church  of  England,  and 
such  he  remained  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Warmly  as  he 
denied  the  theocratic  theory  of  the  churches  of  the  bay,  he 
always  cordially  approved  their  “  heavenly  doctrine.”  In  no 


at 


ADDRESS. 


49 


heat  of  controversy  was  he  ever  accused  of  being  a  heretic. 
It  is  true  that,  having  been  for  a  brief  period  connected  with 
the  Baptists,  he  renounced  their  communion  and  lived  for  the 
rest  of  his  days  isolated  from  all  visible  church  fellowship.  Y et, 
when  we  consider  what  the  religious  conditions  of  the  period 
were,  we  shall  not  censure  him  severely  if,  like  Milton,  he 
shrunk  from  the  Babel  of  sects  that  filled  the  age  with  their 
noise  ;  nor,  if  we  call  to  mind,  how  swift  and  how  startling 
were  the  transitions  of  that  unsettled  time,  will  it  surprise  us 
to  see,  that  like  Vane,  Williams  was  led  to  look  for  the  speedy 
revelation  of  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth.  But  whatever 
we  may  think  of  his  speculative  belief,  respecting  his  practi¬ 
cal  zeal  to  do  good,  there  can  be  no  dispute.  We  find  him 
repeatedly  interposing  his  benevolent  offices  to  save  from  de¬ 
struction  by  the  Indians  the  colony  which  refused  him  a  pas¬ 
sage  even  through  its  territory  ;  we  find  him  interrupting  his 
arduous  labors  in  London,  to  aid  in  providing  the  suffering 
poor  of  that  city  with  fuel;  above  all,  we  find  him  at  all 
times,  on  the  land  and  on  the  sea,  yearning  to  promote  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  Indians.  Eliot  has  won  the  name  of 
the  Indian  apostle ;  but  ten  years  before  Eliot  preached  his 
first  sermon  to  the  Indians,  Roger  Williams  had  consecrated 
himself  to  this  missionary  work ;  not  sent  out  by  a  powerful 
and  wealthy  board  and  followed  with  the  prayers  of  thou¬ 
sands,  but  driven  forth  an  exile,  and  selling  his  house  even, 
“  that  he  might  do  the  natives  good.” 

To  the  seeker  whose  adventurous  thought  carried  him  fur¬ 
ther  than  any  of  his  time  in  the  exploration  of  a  novel  princi¬ 
ple  ;  to  the  wise  master-builder  whose  faith  in  this  principle  did 
not  falter  when  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  an  experi¬ 
ment  which  to  so  many  seemed  subversive  of  social  order ;  to 

the  scholar  who,  trained  in  the  languages  of  the  old  world 
7 


50 


ADDRESS. 


wrought  the  first  key  for  unlocking  the  dialects  of  the  new; 
to  the  philanthropist  whose  abounding  charity  recognized  no 
distinction  of  race  or  tongue,  we  erect  this  statue !  Why 
need  I  say  more  ?  The  muse  of  history  has  already  written 
her  imperishable  record  ;  the  marvelous  touch,  that  endows 
marble  and  bronze  with  life,  has  set  him  before  us  with  a 
reality  that  words  can  only  feebly  counterfeit ! 

An  epoch  is  marked  in  the  history  of  a  community  when 
it  thus  pauses  to  conquer  forgetfulness.  We  rise  to  higher 
levels  as  we  recognize  the  sacredness  of  the  past ;  as  we  com  • 
merce  with  the  great  and  good  who  have  gone  before  us,  and 
whose  examples  are  our  most  precious  possession.  And,  still 
more  is  this  the  case,  when  we  invoke  the  aid  of  art  to  invig¬ 
orate  these  ennobling  influences,  and,  when  we  consecrate  to 
the  departed,  memorials  whose  very  presence  among  us  breeds 
gracious  and  perpetual  benediction.  Let  us  rejoice  that  in 
making,  to-day,  this  lavish  offering,  we  have  at  the  same 
time,  enriched  ourselves.  Here  have  we  placed  our  statue  of 
Roger  Williams,  and  here  let  it  stand;  herein  a  seclusion 
allowing  the  thoughtful  study  which  its  various  excellence 
exacts ;  here  amid  the  fields  which  he  once  received  from 
Canonicus ;  here  in  solemn  companionship  with  kindred 
dust !  Here  let  it  stand  !  Here  let  returning  seasons  greet  it ; 
here  let  men  as  they  rest  from  labor,  here  let  children  as  they 
turn  from  play,  gaze  with  reverence  at  him  who  chose  rather 
to  taste  the  bitterness  of  death  than  to  act  with  a  doubting 


conscience. 


H  O  T  E  . 


Roger  Williams,  according  to  tlie  most  trustworthy  tradition,  was  a  native  of 
Wales,  and  was  born  near  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century.  In  a  document  dated 
July  21,' 1679,  he  speaks  of  himself  as  “being  now  near  to  fourscore  years  of 
age.”  During  his  youth,  he  lived  for  a  time  in  London,  where  he  attracted  the 
notice  of  Coke.  He  was  elected  a  scholar  of  the  Charter-house,  June  25,  1621 ;  and 
was  matriculated  a  pensioner  of  Pembroke  College,  Cambridge,  July  7,  1625.  He 
took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  January,  1627.  His  signature  is  still  preserved 
in  the  subscription  book  of  the  University.  From  this  date  till  he  left  England  there 
is  no  record  respecting  him,  but  from  an  incidental  statement  in  the  Bloudy  Tenent 
yet  more  Bloudy  it  has  been  surmised  that  he  lived  in  Lincolnshire.  He  sailed  from 
Bristol,  with  his  wife  Mary,  in  the  ship  Lyon,  December  1,  1630,  and  after  a  voy¬ 
age  of  sixty-six  days,  arrived  off  Nantasket,  February  5,  1631.  According  to  his 
own  account  he  was  invited,  soon  after,  to  become  teacher  of  the  Boston  church,  in 
place  of  Wilson  who  was  about  returning  to  England,  but  declined  the  offer  be¬ 
cause  he  “  durst  not  officiate  to  an  unseparated  people.”  The  statement  that  he  was 
admitted  freeman,  arose  from  the  fact  that  another  of  the  same  name  was 
in  the  colony,  whose  application  was  made  nearly  four  months  before  the 
Lyon  arrived.  In  April,  1631,  he  was  invited  to  the  church  at  Salem,  but  the 
authorities  interfered,  and  during  the  summer  he  went  to  Plymouth,  where 
he  became  assistant  to  Rev.  Ralph  Smith.  While  here  he  composed  a  “trea¬ 
tise”  against  the  Patent,  which  was  submitted  to  the  examination  of  the 
magistrates  in  December,  1633,  and  the  author  was  cited  to  the  next  session  of 
the  Court  “to  be  censured,”  but  on  his  expressing  submission,  the  matter  was 
dropped.  Before  the  close  of  1633,  he  returned  to  Salem,  assisting  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Skelton,  but  “in  not  any  office.”  In  August,  1634,  after  the  death  of  Skelton,  he 
was  called  to  be  teacher  of  the  church.  In  November,  1634,  he  was  summoned 
before  the  Court  for  having  broken  his  promise  “  in  teaching  publicly  against  the 
King’s  patent.”  but  at  the  March  session,  proceedings  were  again  suspended,  on  the 
ground  that  his  action  sprang  from  “  scruple  of  conscience”  rather  than  “seditious 
principle.”  When  the  Court  met  again,  April  30,  a  new  charge  was  brought 
against  him  of  withstanding  the  Freeman’s  oath.  Early  in  the  summer  of  1635, 
the  Salem  church  proceeded  with  his  ordination,  which  led  to  his  being  cited  before 


52 


NOTE. 


the  Court,  July  8,  on  the  ground  that  “  being  under  question  for  divers  dan¬ 
gerous  opinions,”  he  had  been  called  in  “  contempt  of  authority,”  to  the  office  of 
teacher.  A  petition  of  the  Salem  men  with  reference  to  certain  lands  on  Marblehead 
Neck  was,  on  the  same  ground,  refused.  Availing  himself  of  ecclesiastical 
right,  Williams  caused  letters  of  admonition  to  be  written  by  the  Salem  church  to 
its  sister  churches,  complaining  of  the  “  heinous  sin  ”  committed  by  the  magistrates. 
When  a  majority  of  the  Church  showed  a  disposition  to  recede  from  its  position, 
he  wrote  a  letter  renouncing  communion  with  them.  At  the  September  session  ot 
the  Court,  when  he  had  been  cited  to  appear,  no  action  was  taken,  and  the  Court 
adjourned  till  October  8.  At  this  time,  Williams,  when  asked  whether  he  was  pre¬ 
pared  to  give  satisfaction,  “  justified  both  these  letters,  and  maintained  all  his  opin¬ 
ions.”  In  consequence,  sentence  was  passed  requiring  him  “  to  depart  out  of  this 
jurisdiction  within  six  weeks.”  According  to  Winthrop,  this  was  done  “the  next 
morning,”  which  would  make  the  date  of  the  sentence  October  9th,  but  the  original 
record  has  no  mention  of  any  adjournment.  On  this  point  there  has  been  a  singular 
confusion.  Soon  after,  Williams  was  seized  with  severe  illness,  and  the  authorities 
allowed  him  to  remain  till  Spring,  but  as  he  began  again  to  maintain  his  opinions 
“  to  company  in  his  house,”  it  was  decided  in  January,  1636,  to  send  him  to  Eng¬ 
land,  when  he  fled  to  the  woods.  After  wandering  for  fourteen  weeks,  in  the  spring 
of  1636,  he  began  “  to  build  and  plant,”  at  Scekonk,  but  in  June,  changed  his 
location,  and  settled  on  the  spot  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Providence.  During 
the  summer,  he  interfered  to  prevent  the  Pequot  league.  In  March,  1639,  he  was 
re-baptised  by  “one  Holliman,  a  poor  man,  late  of  Salem,”  and  united  with  Holli¬ 
man  and  ten  others,  in  forming  what  was  afterwards  the  First  Baptist  Church ;  but 
after  three  or  four  months  “  he  broke  from  the  Society.”  In  the  summer  of  1643, 
he  sailed  for  England,  devoting  the  leisure  of  his  vogage  to  the  preparation  of  his 
Key  into  the  Language  of  America.  In  March,  1644,  he  obtained  the  charter  of  the 
“  Providence  Plantations.”  In  the  same  year  he  published,  at  London,  his  Key, 
and  in  the  year  following  the  Bloudy  Tenent.  Bound  up  with  the  latter  was  the 
Examination  of  Cotton’s  Letter,  in  which  he  incidentally  presents  his  own  view 
of  the  grounds  of  his  banishment.  In  November,  1651,  lie  sailed  for  England 
the  second  time,  and  published  in  the  following  year,  The  Bloudy  Tenent  yet  more 
Bloudy,  the  Hireling  Ministry,  and  the  Experiments  of  Spiritual  Life  and  Health. 
Early  in  the  summer  of  1654,  he  returned  to  Providence.  From  September,  1654 
till  May,  1657,  he  served  as  President  of  the  Colony,  In  August,  1672,  occurred 
his  debate  at  Newport  with  the  Quakers,  a  full  account  of  which  he  published 
in  1676.  He  died  some  time  between  January  18,  and  May  10,  1683.  According  to 
custom,  he  was  buried  on  his  own  grounds,  not  far  from  his  house,  and  the  spot 
where  he  landed.  The  grave  was  distinctly  marked  at  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century. 


PROGRAMME 

AT  THE 

DEDICATION  OF  ROGER  WILLIAMS  MONUMENT 

in 

ROGER  WILLIAMS  PARK, 
Providence,  R.  I. 

TUESDAY,  OCTOBER  16,  i  877. 


OVERTURE, — “  Fest.” . Leutner. 

American  Band. 

CHORUS, — “  Know  ye  the  Land  so  Wondrous  Fair.” 

Children  op  the  Public  Schools. 

UNVEILING  OF  THE  MONUMENT,— 

By  the  Artist,  Mr.  Franklin  Simmons,  of  Rome. 

ORIGINAL  HYMN,— . By  Mrs.  Sarah  Helen  Whitman. 

Children  of  the  Public  Schools. 


MASONIC  DEDICATION. 

DELIVERY  OF  THE  MONUMENT  TO  THE  CITY,— 

By  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Parks,  Arthur  F.  Dexter. 


ACCEPTANCE  OF  THE  MONUMENT,— 

By  Thomas  A.  Doyle,  Mayor. 

CHORAL, — “  A  Mighty  Fortress  is  our  God.” 

Children  of  the  Public  Schools. 

PRAYER,— 

By  Rev.  E.  G.  Robinson,  President  of  Brown  University. 


CHANT,— “  The  Lord’s  Prayer.” 

Children  of  the  Public  Schools. 

ORATION,— 

By  Prof.  J.  Lewis  Diman,  of  Brown  University. 

CHORAL,— “  Praise  ye  the  Lord.” 

Children  of  the  Public  Schools. 


BENEDICTION 


gm 

nBl 

pa 

